Eye of the Storm
by Masi-no-Ichigo
Summary: Second update in ten days what is this? This is IKKI AND KAZU kicking ass. In their own beatentoapulpy way. IkkixKazu BL/Shounen-ai - Dx Short chapter is short.
1. Double Bounce Me?

**A/N** -bows frantically fifteen times- SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY. It's NOT "tomorrow or the day after", I know, but GAWD this took me forever! And it's not even THAT long...longer than my one-shots, but stiiiiill. -feels bad- Sorry this took me so long though! I have seveeeeeeeere focus problems...I kept getting distracted. BUT IT'S UP NOW! Now I can work on chapter 2! Check back soon for updates! Check my notes for warnings...though I must say, this one had lots of F-bombs in them. And no, I don't mean "feet."

-Masi

* * *

Kazu jerked awake as he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Blinking the sleep quickly from his eyes, the Jet looked around, mildly startled. His hat was lying in his arms, where his head had been moments before, and Ikki was looking pointedly at him. Kazu looked up at the front of the classroom, and saw Ton-chan looking very flustered as she wrote on the chalkboard; she had dropped the chalk, and was afraid that when she bent over, the boys in the class would take advantage of her.

Kazu sighed, relieved that Ikki has woken him up before the teacher had noticed. He looked behind him for the object that had woken him up, and realized why it had hurt so much. Ikki had thrown a freaking _rock_. A large, roughly shaped rock, about an inch wide. He shot a glare at the Crow, who was chuckling madly like a little kid.

As soon as the bell rang, Kazu shot out of his desk to the door, racing the other members of Kogarasumaru, all of whom were closer to the door than the blonde. Ikki did a quick flip and landed squarely in front of the door precisely at the same time as Kazu, followed by Akito, Onigiri, and Buccha shortly after. Emiri skated up slowly, still new to AT's and blushing furiously as she saw Kazu.

Ikki smirked, and evil glint in his eyes as the team reached the track. The Jet sighed, knowing he had a new training plan. The team leader was constantly changing the practices, and though the Crow said that he was trying to improve the team as a whole, _he_ never practiced. Whenever any of the other team members pointed this out, he'd just reply with a simple, "I don't need to practice, I'm a god, remember?" Or he simply stated that he was a genius, either one.

Ikki looked at the track, probably calculating just _how_ much he could make the team practice without them passing out before his plan came into action. "Twenty laps for warm up," he stated simply, and Emiri's head fell a little; she still wasn't very good at skating long distances. The rest of the team sighed and nodded, except for Akito, who had his look of pure glee still plastered on his face, as usual. Kazu blinked; that was simple enough.

The team set off on the track, with Ikki in the lead. The Crow was showing off again, pulling off little flips and spinning in the air. As he landed, a little twist on his front wheel, he skated ahead of the rest, eyeing the crowd of girls that always stared at the practicing team on their way home. A few of them clapped, while other's whispered to their friends. Ikki grinned and Kazu sighed again; it was so easy for the Crow to get attention, the boy seemed like a girl magnet…but also a magnet for trouble. Kazu looked warily at his arms, with faint scars showing up on his pale skin as he ran.

With his mind distracted, the Jet went into his form of auto-pilot, and his pace quickened. He ended up right next to Ikki, who jumped a foot when the Jet appeared so abruptly and silently.

"_Geez_, Kazu, stop fucking doing that!"

"Huh?" The blonde was blinked out of his reverie, distracted by the Crow's accusations.

"Stop sneaking up on me like that!" Ikki said hotly.

Kazu just scowled. "I didn't mean to, I just wasn't really paying attention. And who're YOU to talk?" Kazu shook his head. "You're the one who always just APPEARS in my house, uninvited."

Ikki shrugged at Kazu, who sighed. The blonde gave up and continued skating on silently, thin legs moving smoothly, matching the Crow's pace perfectly. However, as the Jet's mind began to wander again, his legs sped up, moving with more and more powerful strokes against the soft pavement. When the blonde was finally aware of his movements again, he was nearly back to Ikki's position on the track. He blinked. Had he really…?

Ikki spun around, facing the Jet. The annoyed look in his face made Kazu flinch. "Kazu," the Crow said sharply. "Do you EVER pay attention while you skate?"

Kazu nodded, relieved. He had thought Ikki had been mad about something less obvious. "I pay attention when I sprint," he said plainly.

Hit team leader just looked at him with a stumped expression on his face. "You WERE just sprinting."

Kazu shook his head. "No, I wasn't." He stopped skating when he reached the Crow. "You _want_ to see me sprint?"

Ikki frowned. "Fine."

Kazu just found a line on the track and crouched into his track start. The boy inhaled sharply, and pressed down hard on his front leg. The motors in his right AT started moving, and he shifted his weight, leaning forward, bringing his other foot forward. It was all just speed from then on. The blonde pressed down on his AT's, legs moving swiftly, pressing the air out from between his lips, mouth half-closed.

He felt the Crow's skeptical eyes on him during his entire sprint, until his skid to a stop a few feet farther that where Ikki was. Ikki just blinked at him.

"Wait, what?" Ikki had a look of puzzlement on his face. "Kazu, how many laps was that?"

Kazu counted them in his head. "Uh…three. Why?"

Ikki frowned. "I only saw two." The Crow scratched the back of his neck for a moment. Then a look of comprehension crossed his face, followed by a look of pure amazement. Kazu watched the show of faces curiously. Ikki stared at Kazu for a moment, before saying quietly, "I _blinked_. I missed a_ lap_ from a blink!"

Kazu just looked at him blankly. "So what?" the blonde inquired, confused. "It's not that special, I mean…"

Ikki just looked at him, a look of incredulity on his face. Kazu trailed off, puzzled. It _wasn't_ that special, was it? Ikki could go that fast too, if he tried…right?

The Crow answered his question as if he read Kazu's mind. "I don't know about any other riders that could do that, except maybe Iron and Spitfire…" he shook his head at the Jet. "Seriously, Man? 'Not that special'…?"

The other members of Kogarasumaru appeared behind the two suddenly, Agito looking sour, and the others panting slightly. Ikki smiled devilishly when they showed up, the two boys' previous confusion forgotten. The team leader just looked around at the team with a look of glee only a child could posses when presented with a new toy. He grinned and motioned for the others to follow him, skating off school grounds.

The team following grudgingly, they came to a halt in front of a small house, with a large backyard. Emiri blinked several times before looking at Ikki with confusion. "Yayoi's house?"

Ikki nodded fervently. "Her uncle just sent her something, and she said I could borrow it for team practice," he said triumphantly. Kazu shook his head. It must have taken a bribe from the Crow to get Yayoi to cooperate with him. They followed the Crow to the backyard, where an exasperated Yayoi was waiting for them, leaning on a gigantic trampoline.

Ikki's eyes widened when he saw the trampoline, and he jumped up happily, kicking off his skates in the air. Kazu and Onigiri shook their heads; it was like Ikki was a five-year-old again. The Crow bounced around for a moment, then looked at Yayoi. "Hey, Nakayama, how many people did you say can come on here at once?"

"Five."

Ikki grinned. "Good," he looked at them team, and tilted his head for them all to come on. "Hey, wait, Buccha…No offense, but…" The older rider just sighed and nodded at the Crow, and sat down on the grass.

Ikki spun around, his socks moving smoothly on the black weave. He looked around at his team. "You guy's know what a double bounce is?" They all nodded, except for Agito. Ikki grinned cheekily. He knew that the Shark just didn't want to reply, but he felt like making fun of the boy anyway. "It's when people bounce at the same time, but one's off by less than a second, Agito. Then that person goes higher."

Agito just glared at Ikki. "Fuck, I knew that."

Ikki chuckled. Turning his attention back to all of the team, he announced, "If any of you guys get a double bounce, use it to practice was flip or spin. Now, bounce away." The team just looked at Ikki, dumbfounded, and Ikki just looked back at them, face completely serious.

Agito swore. "Just _jump_? Fuck, that's useless!"

Ikki glared at the shark. "Useless? Fine, I'll show you. Everyone, off the trampoline, except Kazu."

Kazu blinked. "Why me?"

Ikki chuckled. "'Cause you're the least whiney. Now jump."

Kazu huffed and slowly jumped with Ikki's rhythm. _Well, I feel like an idiot_, he though, exasperated. Why hadn't the Crow just flipped Agito's eye patch over to the right? Akito would obviously have been overjoyed to…

Suddenly, Kazu's feet skipped a beat when the mesh beneath him hardly provided any rebound. The Crow had stolen Kazu's jump and double bounced, and as soon as his feet left the mesh, Ikki had twisted his body to the left and spun his legs up. His torso soon lower than his legs, he spun into a somersault and landed with his feet planted facing Kazu directly.

But as soon as the Crow landed, the blonde's balance on the trampoline caused and incline, and Ikki's landing resulted in another jump; another jump _straight_ at the unsuspecting blonde. Kazu tried to jump to the left, but Ikki accidentally landed on top of the smaller Jet and pinned him down.

Ikki quickly scrambled off of the smaller rider, face looking awkwardly embarrassed. "Sorry, Man, the trampoline just…" he trailed off, looking more embarrassed at not being able to explain his sudden lunge at the blonde.

"Wha- It's fine!" Kazu said hurriedly, face flushing. _It's not like Ikki _meant_ to suddenly jump me…_ Kazu shook is head. "You okay?"

Ikki nodded fervently. "I'm fine, but I wasn't the one who got smashed. You good?"

Kazu nodded, and the two suddenly became aware or Buccha and Onigiri rolling in the grass with laughter, Yayoi giggling, and Emiri looking mildly put off. Kazu hurriedly flipped off trampoline with his left hand on the edge.

The Jet sighed and thought of a quick excuse. "I have to go, my sister's leaving to her friend's house for the week, and I want to make her dinner tonight." Kazu wasn't _lieing _exactly…His sister actually was going away for a week, and this was a good excuse to get away from everyone laughing. Though, he _definitely_ wasn't making dinner.

Ikki shrugged. "Yeah, whatever." The Crow turned to the rest of the team and threw another rock at the boys. Kazu blinked. _Where the _hell_ does he keep getting rocks? _Kazu peered at Ikki's pocket on the boy's left side. Of course. It was bulging with what were now obviously rocks. The blonde shook his head and skated quickly home.

Pulling off his sweatshirt, Kazu kicked off his skates and flopped down on the couch with a huff. He didn't know whether it was just him or not, but the day had seemed extremely long. The blonde sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head rest back on the couch. He heard his sister open the door and she sighed heavily.

Kazu opened one eye. "What?"

His sister shook her head and threw Kazu's sweatshirt at him. "Stop throwing your clothes everywhere, _please?_ I don't want to come home to this kind of mess."

Kazu just shut his eyes again and used his shirt as a pillow. It smelled different today…better. Maybe his sister had used a different soap on it, but it didn't smell like soap. It had more of a woodsy smell, like oak and musk. The blonde shrugged to himself and buried his face further into the fabric, letting himself drift off. Either way, his sweatshirt smelled better. The blonde swore loudly when his sister threw both of his AT's at the half-asleep rider.

* * *

Eh, sorry if the ending was a bit jerky, I wasn't planning on ending that way, but then I realized that I didn't HAVE an ending...so yeah. And if you don't get the thing with the sweatshirt...then you're weird. Sorry! I couldn't think of another scent, so I ended up using the one in Crimson Vixen's Folly and Sin. If you havne't read it, then what are you doing reading this?? READ FaS NOW, WINGNUT!

-Masi again. ..


	2. Strawberry Blood

**A/N**:...IT'S UP. PHENOMENON! I was all, "Oh, time to go to bed!" But AS I was saving this chappy, I was all...MUST WRITE. But at the point that I stopped, I just thought, "Oh, this'd be a LOOOOOOVELY little cliffy _wouldn't_ it?? So I stopped and put it up. -w- Hopefully next chapter'll be easier, with some set up this time. Had NO idea what to do for this'un.

But I feel like I owe and explanaition for some of the stuff in last chapterrrrr. SO!

Trampoline! - Yush...I was actually having a TON of trouble coming up with Ikki's 'new practice', when I went to my friend's house. We ended up going on her neighbor's trmpoline, and, being the little obsessive Air Gear fan I am, I was all, "Ooooooooh...Ikki would be fun to watch on a trampoline...OOOHSSHFDJFKHS!! I KNOW WHAT TO DO!" My friends were looking at me like I'm crazy!...which I can't disagree with.

Auto-pilot nessssss - This one...yeah, this is based off me, actually. I swim loooots, and while I do the backstroke sometimes, I have a really short attention span, so sometimes if I don't pay attention, I go kinda fast...or just hurt myself when I forget to look for the flags and hit my head on the wall...

But anywhooooooo If you read that, you gets loooooots of loves. But to anyone who reviewed, you get loves, even if you DIDN'T read it all 33

Now! On to the cliffy chapterrrrrrr

Oh wait, before that! The team name "Chibatsu" is tranlated into "Blood Clan" Thankies to Crimson Vixen for looking up clan for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee -huggles-

NOW on the the story 33

* * *

Ikki grinned and gave Kazu a friendly slap on the back, earning a glare from the disgruntled blonde. Okay, so maybe it was a little hard…But Kazu would get over it. Ikki rolled slowly on his AT's, in no particular hurry; besides, he wasn't going home today.

After a few blocks, the two boys passed Ikki's house, and Kazu looked at him expectantly. "Aren't you going home?" he asked Ikki, obviously confused.

Ikki just grinned. "Nope," the Crow answered, "I'm staying at your place."

Kazu just stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. "No way, man, my sister's out of town, and she'll freak if she finds out I let people stay over."

Ikki just shrugged. "Then I won't let her find out. Besides, I _can't_ go home today, Kazu." The Crow attempted to put on a puppy dog pout, and failed miserably. "Are you just gonna let me starve in the cold?"

Kazu just glared at Ikki. "You ate all Mikan's ramen again, didn't you." It wasn't a question. Ikki just grinned again at Kazu, who sighed. The Jet knew Ikki too well, and it wasn't like the Crow hadn't pulled this before.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ikki said, skating forward, his school bag slung over his shoulder. "So where'd your sister go, anyway?"

"She's visiting our parents, overseas," replied the blonde.

"You're home alone?" Ikki asked curiously. That was odd, Kazu didn't seem like he cared much, but the teen wasn't really old enough to be living alone.

Kazu nodded. A new idea sprung into the Crow's mind, and he smiled, a mischievous gleam to his dark eyes. "You _do_ realize that gives my free range of your house, right?" Free range of Kazu's house meant free range of his kitchen.

Kazu just scowled. "It's still my house, dude, so keep out." Ikki raised his right eyebrow in mild amusement, seeing as the blonde said this right as he opened the door for Ikki. The Crow chuckled and rolled into the house, and kicked off his AT's. He looked around, and saw that Kazu's small house was just as his sister liked it; Clean and spotless, almost to the point of looking like nobody lived there.

Ikki flopped onto the couch, head tilted back and resting on the couch's back, and peered over at Kazu, who was kicking his and Ikki's AT's into the closet. "…Is it dinner time yet?"

The Jet sighed. "Is your goal in life to eat as much as possible?"

Ikki fixed him with a serious look. "Yes."

Kazu rolled his eyes and Ikki grinned. "As I am God of all food, I get first picks," said the Crow, as he got up wandered into the kitchen. "You got any meat?"

* * *

There was a shuffling of feet as Akito wandered home; coming back from Agito's training. The boy had been working on his fang tirelessly, and Akito had finally managed to convince him to stop for the night. Akito preferred the solid feel of the ground under his feet, so he'd taken off his AT's and was wandering through the streets in his socks.

At the sudden sound of an AT motor and a clang of metal hitting metal, Akito jumped. However, Agito's sudden words startled him even more; Agito never really worried about these things. _Akito, hide!_ The small boy obeyed quickly and rushed to the shadows, his dark jacket and pants helping him to blend in. He squinted slightly to see a team of storm riders, probably only seven strong. However…He watched as the team came to a halt to look at something that Akito couldn't make out. His ears strained to make out their words, but the words were just as incoherent from his distance as their motions. He heard a loud _slap_ and the team was off again, speeding off in the direction they came from, and cackling loudly.

Akito poked his head out of the corner he was in and looked both ways, making sure it was safe, before running over to the place where the other team had stopped. When he saw what lay on the wall before him, he heard Agito swear and ran off in horror towards the Noyamano sisters' house, towards Ikki.

* * *

Ikki wandered out of the bathroom, taking a towel to his head and rubbing vigorously. His dark hair spiked back up quickly, and he took a quick glance at the clock on the way into Kazu's living room; 1:00 am. Ikki blinked. Was it already that late?

He wandered over to the couch and flopped down, looking around. _Where'd Kazu go?_ Ikki looked down to the right and sighed. Of _course_, if Ikki was staying over, Kazu would be too good of a friend to sleep in his bed and leave Ikki in the couch; Kazu had pulled out the spare futon and already dozed off. The Crow nudged Kazu with his foot, poking his head smack dab in the center.

The blonde rolled over and groaned. "Ikki, dammit, stop."

Ikki grinned. "Aw, c'mon, it's only one. Don't you wanna go for a run?"

"…no." Kazu flipped back onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow.

Ikki just continued nudging the annoyed Jet with his foot until he finally gave in. "Fine, but where the hell're we going?"

Ikki sat there for a moment, thinking. He hadn't actually thought of anywhere to _go_…just that he _wanted_ to go. "Uh…where ever I want. Let's go."

Kazu shuffled, exasperated, to the door, having fallen asleep fully dressed, and pulled on his AT's, Ikki doing the same. Ikki, however, instead of heading out the door, rolled back into Kazu's house, and Kazu turned around quickly. "What the hell are you doing? If you get any marks on the floor, my sister will _kill_ me. Seriously!"

Ikki just chuckled, clicked the brakes on in his AT's, and made his way up the stairs; Kazu quickly mimicked the older boy, still worried about if his sister found out he'd worn his AT's in the house. By the time Kazu made it up the stairs and found Ikki, the Crow was already perched at Kazu's window. "We're leaving from here, of course."

Ikki leapt off the window sill, making it to the next roof, with Kazu following close behind. The Crow looked back at his friend, who looked slightly uncomfortable. The blonde had always been more of a…down-to-earth type person, in more ways than one. Ikki grinned. "What's with that expression?"

Kazu blinked and wrinkled his nose a bit. "Did you use my sister's shampoo? You smell like a girl, dude."

Ikki chuckled darkly to himself. "Uh, Kazu…I used yours."

Kazu looked shocked for a moment, then scowled. "Very funny asshole, but I don't use strawberry shampoo."

Ikki just grinned again and flipped down to the street. Kazu jumped off the roof too, but landed much less gracefully. "Just kidding, man."

* * *

Akito sprinted down the road, tiny feet pounding on the pavement. _I have to find Ikki-kun!_ Even Agito was slightly unhappy about what they had seen, but he wasn't afraid like Akito was. The small boy looked around him as he made his way back to the house, when he noticed a familiar voice; the voice he'd been searching for. He headed in the direction of that oh so welcome voice, and just saw the back wheel of the Crow's AT.

"Ikki-kun!" he yelled, keeping his feet moving quickly. He turned the corner to find Ikki with…Kazu? Akito didn't care much for Kazu, he took a lot of Ikki's time away from the smaller boy. Ikki and Kazu had stopped when they heard Akito.

"What's up?" Ikki asked, raising an eyebrow.

_You probably look like you just had a heart attack, Akito_, Agito put in.

"I-I-Ikki-kun! T-there was…" Akito panted, feet stinging from running so far with out shoes. The small boy stumbled over to Ikki, and grabbed the hem of his shirt. "There was another team!" he spluttered out. "Another team! Th-they put a sticker …and, and, they wrote, they wrote…!" The words were fumbled as he tried to say as much as he could at once.

Ikki's eyes widened, but his dark eyes still had a look of confusion. "Akito, stop, take a breath, _then_ spit it out."

Akito did as he was told, and took a deep breath. His breathing calmed down a bit, he tried again. "Ikki-kun, there was another team, and they put their sticker over ours, over Kogarasumaru's! And they left a message, for you, Ikki-kun! In blood!"

* * *

Ikki skidded to a halt in front of the sticker Akito had referred to. He had sent the younger boy home, but Kazu had insisted on coming; it wasn't like Kazu had seen it, like Akito. Ikki stared up at the scene above the two stickers, and he heard Kazu audibly gulp behind him.

Written on the wall above the two stickers was a shining, crimson note, with that tinge of a metallic scent. "_Sky King, beware_." They had left another message too, under the stickers, with a date, location, and time. The sticker was slapped across Kogarasumaru's; a red moon, reading _Chibatsu_ along the crescent shape. But the dark side of the moon wasn't round; it was a skull, nestled into the center of the moon.

Ikki read and reread the crimson letters, memorizing them; he wasn't particularly keen on returning anytime soon. However, the message was clear; if Kogarasumaru didn't show up, the team would find them, and Ikki didn't like the sound of an ambush. Once the Crow had gotten the time and place down by heart, he turned around to find Kazu looking pale. Well, paler than usual, at least. Ikki started rolling off, and heard Kazu pause for a moment before following. The Jet didn't need to be spoken to; it was time like these when the two understood each other perfectly; ever since they'd been a part of the East Side Guns, they'd been become accustomed to the other's reactions well enough to know what to expect from the other.

Kazu rolled silently after Ikki, aside from the sound of every soft step and the quiet hum of the motors. Ikki, however, took very little notice of the sound around him, his thoughts running over the scene they had found, and still repeating that time and place. _Three days from now, in the empty lot by the…_

Ikki's thoughts were cut off by a sharp ring of a cell phone, and he heard Kazu jump. Ikki turned to look at the startled Jet, who quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. As the boy looked at the number calling him, Ikki saw his eyes widen and he immediately flipped it open and pressed it hard to his ear.

"Hello?" Kazu answered quickly, obviously slightly worried. Ikki frowned, he didn't like having to sit and watch. He crossed his arms and watched the Jet with a bored expression on his face, thoughts wandering back to the…

"Wh-what?…N-no, take a breath, and speak slower, I can't…" Kazu's worry had increased now, and was plastered all over his face. Ikki could hear a girl's voice on the other side of the phone from where he was standing, but that's all he could comprehend from his distance. This time though, when Kazu went silent, brow furrowed, Ikki kept his focus on the distressed blonde.

"H-hold on, Sis, I'm sure they'll be…well, _yes_, but…c-calm down, just…call me back, okay? Call me back when you hear." Kazu's tone was falsely reassuring; Ikki could see the distress taking over his face as he spoke. The blonde bit his lip, and his fingers curled a little tighter around the phone. "Alright…but don't stay up after you hear, okay…? …Yeah, g'night."

Kazu snapped the phone shut and looked at it for a couple moments, trying to clear his face of the worry and stress. But when he looked up at Ikki, the Crow frowned, because the clear blue was clouded with emotions. He broke eye contact quickly, and looked off to the side, hand still wrapped tightly around his phone.

When Kazu spoke, his voice was soft and wavering. "Ikki…that was my sister." He stopped and swallowed. "My parents…they…they got in a car crash over in America; they're in the hospital."

* * *


	3. Revelations

**A/N:** Yayyyyyyyy Chapter three up!! And it's a _little_ longer...

But for some odd reason, this too a long time toooo. But not as long, right? RIGHT? -has no idea- Ah, well...I've given you other stuff in the meantime though, ne? You know I love you allllllllllllllllllll

Hmm...but guyyyyyys...-whiney- What is this? I got a bunch of watches which are flattering, mind you Thatnk you all fo rthe watches! but like, NO reviews! I got Rae-nee's -looooooooooves-, Nanami-chan's, and a few others, but guyyyyyyys, I luv you all, and wanna know what you think! Even if it's CONSTRUCTIVE criticism! No flaming, or I'll shun you foreverrrrrrrrrr...

But anywhoooooo, enough Masi whines. I'm annoying. -w-;;; Soooooory Gais. BUT. I've decided to stick with 'Ayaka' for Kazu's sister, I'm actually rather fond of it as a name. Oooooh, and sorry if the first line doubles; it's not doubled right now on the document.

Oh well, even if I still get no reviews, I'll keep writing! C: -couldn't stop even if I tried-

-Lotsa love to you allllll Masi!

* * *

Kazu's hands were shaking, Ikki could see it. No matter how hard the blonde was trying to stay strong, he was scared.

Just as Ikki opened his mouth, the blonde spoke, and Ikki held his tongue. He wasn't actually sure what he had been about to say, and was grateful that Kazu had broken the silence.

"…Ikki, I'm heading back," the blonde said quietly, and spun around, the hum of the tiny motors increasing before rapidly diminishing as the Jet ran out of sight. Ikki swallowed and rolled slowly in the same direction, still not knowing how to react. Kazu's parents were hurt and Ikki didn't know how badly; he doubted Kazu did either. But with Ikki's lack of experience, the least he could do was be with the blonde. He pressed down a little harder on his feet, and heard the satisfying sound of the motor speeding up.

Ikki opened the door to Kazu's house almost silently, and kicked his AT's off into the closet, shutting the door behind him. He looked around and found the blonde easily, but was uneasy at the sight. Kazu was sitting on the top of the couch's back, knees brought up to his chin with his arms loosely wrapped around them. and staring at the phone with a dull look in his eyes. His cell phone was also grasped tightly in the blonde's left hand, as if the Jet didn't want to waste a second at the sound of a ring.

Ikki walked up slowly to the blonde, biting his lip, with nothing to say; there _was_ nothing to say. Ikki silently climbed up to sit next to Kazu, and, hoping that his actions would, _could,_ speak louder than words, he rested his hand on the boy's neck. He felt a quiver under his hand, and though Ikki didn't need to look to know the smaller boy was crying, he did, noting the dark circles underneath the blonde lashes that were squeezed shut. Kazu was tired; the only thing keeping him awake was the stress. Ikki hesitated, before rubbing slow circles with his thumb at the top of the blonde's neck; it was all he felt he could do.

As Ikki continued with his attempt to sooth the blonde, he felt Kazu's quaking die down and his breathing deepen. The soft _thump_ of the cell phone confirmed it; Kazu fell asleep. Ikki's eyes softened as he sighed with relief. He was worried about Kazu's parents too, he didn't want the blonde to get sick or lose too much sleep over it. Ikki lifted his hand off of Kazu's neck, testing the waters, then slowly lowered himself off he couch to pick up the phone; if he was going to let Kazu rest, he'd have to answer any phone calls himself. Ikki sat down next to the blonde again and waited.

* * *

_Brrrrr-ring_. Ikki jolted as he heard the shrill note and felt the matching buzz of the phone in his hand. He had the cold metal receiver to his ear in an instant, and quickly moved to another room; he didn't want to wake Kazu, who had finally fallen more deeply asleep.

"…hello?" Ikki asked cautiously.

"…Ikki? Why're you…?"

Kazu's sister. _Well, at least it's not a doctor._ "Kazu fell asleep, and I thought I should pick it up. I heard though…how're things over there?"

He heard the older girl pause for a moment, before replying. "Well…Mom and Dad are...are you sure I can't just talk to Kazu?"

"He's sleeping, and I don't really want to wake him up; you know how worried he gets about these things. But I'll relay everything you say to him, okay?"

Ayaka sighed. "All right…The doctors said that our parents'll be fine. But Mom had a broken collar bone, and my dad fractured his knee. The doctors said that those'll heal up quickly though. The two of them also had a lot of internal bleeding, and I had to give some blood…but the doctor said they'll be fine."

The girl's tone and the repetition of 'they'll be fine' sounded like she was trying to confirm it, trying to convince herself it was true. Just like Kazu would. Not believe anyone when they said that their parents would be okay, and that only seeing them up and alive would convince her. Just like Kazu. Ikki smiled softly to himself. Kazu and his sister really _did_ have a lot in common. They had influenced each other through out their years alone together, their habits, personalities, and even ways of coping with worry and loss, stress and hurt, they all were reflected onto one another.

"Yeah…they'll be okay. I'll tell Kazu when he wakes up, alright?"

"Yeah…tell him I say 'hi,'" she said softly.

Ikki nodded, then voiced it. "Okay. They'll be fine, Ayaka, get some sleep."

He heard a small noise of consent, then the soft click of the connection ending.

* * *

Akito shuffled out of Ikki's bed, long sleeves over his fists as he rubbed at his eyes, face turned into a slight pout; he wanted Ikki to be back in the bed, it was cold without him. He shuffled sleepily to the door, mouth opened in a tremendous yawn. His eyes squeezed shut, he bumped right into Ringo as she was reaching for the door in the same instant. The taller storm rider looked down at Akito curiously, eyes blinking rapidly behind her glasses.

"Akito? So then Ikki never…?"

Akito shook his head, navy blue locks flipping back and forth. Ringo had a look of disappointment in her round eyes, but Akito didn't really mind; he was more worried about Ikki. The Crow had never come home, and what if something had happened at the place that he'd referred to? Akito shifted slightly, and decided to tell Ringo of the situation. If he didn't then who would, Ikki? For some reason, Akito didn't like the idea of Ikki and Ringo having that serious of a conversation…

"Hey, Ringo?"

"Uh, yes?" The rider looked at the small boy warily.

_You know why she's like that, Akito. It's 'cause of the way you fucking hang on that Crow so much…_Agito put in. Akito ignored the Shark and went on, earning a small growl from the other boy.

"Um…I thought I should tell you that something's going on…Ikki and I found a new sticker challenge. They wrote in blood there, too," said Akito, knowing what he was implying; that he and Ikki had found the sticker together, and that the other boy, Kazu, hadn't been involved. Akito sighed inwardly; of only.

Ringo looked taken aback. "What? What do you mean, blood?"

"They wrote a note for Ikki in blood! It said, 'Sky King, beware.'" He watched as Ringo's eyes widened in worry, and felt a small note of satisfaction. By telling her himself, Akito had managed to keep Ringo and Ikki a little less close on the subject.

"Well…why didn't he come home last night then? You said you were with him, he's okay, right?" she queried, obviously confused. _…woops_, he thought, _small problem. _Agito snorted, and Akito shushed him inwardly.

"I dunno…we met Kazu, on the way back, and…he went back with him. He thought he should tell Kazu about the sticker." Akito would've started grinning if the person he'd been fooling hadn't been right in front of him; his rival in love, and he'd tricked her into thinking that Ikki cared more about his best friend then her, and that Akito was with Ikki when he found out!

"So…Ikki's alright then?" Ringo seemed relieved.

Akito nodded, smiled, then bounced off. "I'm gonna go find Ikki!"

Akito's smiled faded as he ran out the door to school; he _really_ wanted to find Ikki.

* * *

Kazu squeezed his eyes shut tighter; he didn't want to wake up, he was too warm and content. _Wait…_ Kazu's eyes snapped open as he'd remembered the night before and he flipped over, only to land on the floor with a _thud_. He looked around until he'd found a clock; it was one o'clock…_pm?!_ _Oh god, what happened with my parents…?_ Kazu frantically scrambled up from the floor and ran over to the phone, checking the caller ID. His eyes widened when he saw Ayaka's cell phone number on the phone's tiny screen, then realized what time it was in America; he couldn't call and risk waking his sister up.

Kazu gripped the phone tighter until his already pale knuckles turned white and sat down on the couch again, finally taking notice of Ikki. The Crow was sprawled out on the large chair across the room, mouth slightly open and deep asleep. The Jet blinked; why was he still there? Kazu sighed and stretched out, laying down on the couch, only to blink a few times and sit back up, pulling a wadded up blanket from underneath him. _When did this get here? Did Ikki…?_ Well, it sure _seemed_ like Ikki had covered Kazu while he'd been sleeping; and on top of that, Kazu hadn't _actually_ fallen asleep _on_ the couch…had Ikki even _moved_ him?

The Crow shifted a little, long arms and legs spread all in different directions, and he murmured a little blurb before shifting again. Kazu just watched the older boy with dull blue eyes, mind too worried to even think of anything other than his parents. _I can't believe I missed the phone call. _Shit_ I'm an idiot._ Ikki suddenly mumbled something a little louder, then jerked awake, right arm thrown over to the left, and the momentum sending the dark haired boy tumbling off the chair in a matter of seconds.

Kazu stared at the Crow who was blinking back up at him with a startled expression in his dark eyes, and his mouth twitched up at the sides in amusement. Ikki blinked a couple more times before bursting into laughter, and Kazu stiffened slightly as the sudden noise took him by surprise.

"What up with you, man?" Ikki was obviously taking notice of the dead expression Kazu could even _feel_ taking over his face. "Oh, right…Hey, Kazu, your sister called."

Kazu sighed and leant back down onto the couch. "I know, I saw her number on the…wait…how do _you_ know?"

"'Cause I picked it up," Ikki said bluntly. Kazu's head whipped back around to stare at the Crow.

"What?"

"Well, I wasn't just gonna let it ring if it was that important." Ikki rubbed the back of his neck. "And also you'd just fallen asleep…it wasn't right to just let you get woken up."

Kazu blinked. _That was nice…I guess._ "Well…thanks. But what'd she say?" The Jet's mind was immediately redirected to the matter of his parents.

"She said they'd be fine," the Crow began, and Kazu let out what felt like first breath in twelve hours. He let the Crow continue; "She said there were a couple things broken, but nothing major, and there was a bit of blood loss and internal bleeding, but that's about it. The doctors said they'd be fine though."

Kazu sighed again, and his head fell back for the third time. _Thank God…_

Ikki finally decided to get up off the floor, and he wandered over to the couch and sat on one of the armrests. "So, since that's not a problem anymore, what're we gonna do about this new team?"

The blonde groaned; he'd completely forgotten about that. Ikki raised his eyebrows and Kazu voiced his thoughts aloud; "I _completely_ forgot about that with all this shit going on…"

Ikki's mouth quirked to the side thoughtfully. "Yeah, but…what do you say about getting the team together to talk about it?" The team leader was obviously trying to get Kazu's mind off of his parents, and the Jet took the opportunity openly.

"Sounds good. You wanna call Onigiri and Buccha then? I'll get ahold Emiri…" Kazu trailed off awkwardly.

Ikki raised his eyebrows again. "You have her number?"

Kazu scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah…she put her cell phone number in my phone when I wasn't really looking." The Crow blinked at him for a moment before he started snickering at the blonde.

"She's _so_ into you, man," Ikki said, earning a quick slap on the back of his head from Kazu.

"Yeah yeah, sorry if I only have _one _of the girls at school falling all over me when you've got, what is it now, _fifty_?" Kazu grinned and ducked Ikki's swing at the back of his head. However, while he made his snappy comeback at the Crow, on the inside he was running over Ikki's last sentence in his head. _Does Emiri _really _like me _that _much? I mean…she _did_ say something about wanting me to teach her and stuff…but I thought…_Kazu blushed. Sure, Emiri was a great friend, but…he didn't exactly feel the same way as the new rider did.

Ikki shook his head quickly, as if shaking off their last couple sentences. "Yeah, sounds good. We'll pick up Akito on the way; I need to stop by the house anyway." Kazu nodded, and Ikki hopped off the arm rest. He grabbed Kazu's wrist and tugged the blonde up after him, and Kazu reluctantly rolled off the couch. "I'm coming, I'm coming, let go."

* * *

Ikki rolled out of Kazu's doorway, the blonde following close behind as he started off in the direction of the house. Kazu stuffed his cell phone back into his pocket, face red, and Ikki chuckled. It's not like Kazu had actually known that Emiri had liked him so much until Ikki had told him, and the Crow found it amusing to see Kazu so flustered over it. Ikki's ears perked at the soft pad of feet on the pavement and looked back in front of him to see Akito running towards him with a huge smile plastered on his face. "Ikki-kuuuun! Good morning!"

Ikki sighed; so much for going back to the house, there was no point now. He had planned on telling Ringo about the incident on his way, but now it would just seem weird to stop by the house just for that. "Well, since Akito's here, we can just to the school then."

Kazu eyed him, a look of mild surprise in his eyes. "I thought you said you had something to do at the girls' house."

_Leave it to Kazu to catch every word_. "Well, I was just gonna let them know about the situation since we were stopping by."

"Oh, that's okay, I already told Ringo!" Akito hopped forward, smile still plastered onto his face.

Ikki blinked at the smaller boy. "Oh…okay then. Let's go." Kazu gave him a weird look before skating forward, and Akito bounced off after the blonde. Ikki paused, then followed.

* * *

Ikki flopped down on top of one of the desks in the classroom; actually, he flopped down on the desk in front of Agito, earning a "fuck, move your ass, Crow," from the Shark. Ikki chuckled and sat on the desk next to it, and faced his team.

"So. You guys, I'm not gonna beat around the bush. Kazu and Agito already know this, but there's a new team in the area."

The boys in the team just looked at Ikki. "So? What's so important about this one that you couldn't wait until school tomorrow?" Buccha asked, thick arms folded over his chest.

Ikki frowned. "The team asked for us to meet them in two days, but they wrote in blood; a ton of it. Enough to kill a person from blood loss." _Well, _there's_ a reaction..._Ikki thought grimly as the previously uninformed riders looked taken aback.

Onigiri swallowed and rubbed his nose. "Well…what're we gonna do?"

Ikki fixed each of the team members with a quick but serious glance. "We're going to meet them like they requested, of course."

* * *

**A/N:**Sorry! More stuffs! Oooooh, cliffy?? Not really, but still. Chapter four is already in the works, so I'll try and hurry! Oh, but I must say sorry for the ending; even _I_ find it really unsatysfying, but I couldn't think of anything else. Seeing as I can't type either, I apologize for any typos! If they bother you a lot, then just PMing me would be fine and I'll try to fix anything that messes up the meaning too much, or if it makes no sense.

Jaa, oyasumi nasai, minna-chan!


	4. Initial Intentions

**A/N:**Oh my Ikki, finallyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. xx Only Rae-nee knows the amount of times I tried to put this up last night. And...eventually, I was just "FINE , YOU WIN."

My mother: "Just go to bed, do it in the morning." She thought I was doing my English and turning it in to Turn it in .com...hohoho...

Me: "Ugh...fine." I just wanted her to shut uppppp...

OKAY. But on a completely different note, this chapter took...not that long actually. I wrote the majority of it yesterday and last night, so...yus. And, anno...seeing as Rae-nee, you're not online, maybe you'll still be waking up to this...? -rondom hopefulness- If so, then lotsa luuuuuuv Actually, lotsa loves even if you were already awake, plus a sorry. ;; was eeeeeebil.

Next chapter then guys! Lubbers, Masi

* * *

"What?! Ikki, why the hell would we…?" Onigiri's confusion was obvious from his expression. The rest of the team also looked slightly taken aback by the Crow's last sentence.

"Yeah…why would we go straight to the enemy? Didn't you say that they probably killed somebody?" Emiri piped in, voice slightly higher than usual, wide eyes flickering to Kazu before returning to Ikki. Kazu blinked at Ikki, the previous conversation still on his mind, and Ikki raise his eyebrows at the blonde. _Is that all he's confused about? Did he know what I was going to say before I did?_

"Take your pick," Ikki said, voice still strangely serious. "One, we could go and meet them, prepared; Two, we could sit back and wait for them to pick us off one by one. Or they could also ambush us in a group, I guess, which ever they choose."

Kogarasumaru was silent; as Ikki let the facts settle into the riders' minds, the other riders' minds all ran over the situation. When they finally all seemed to comprehend it, Ikki nodded. "So, two days."

He ran his gaze across the room, looking into each of the riders' eyes. His eyes got stuck on Kazu's crystal blue eyes, right as the blonde spoke; "And until then?"

"Until then, we wait."

--

But oh, how _fast_ two short days can seem.

--

Ikki motioned for the others to stop behind him, and put a finger to his lips. He looked around the brick wall, then whipped his head back around, a calculating look on his face. He looked over at Akito, eye patch still covering up the loud mouthed Shark. "Akito, how many people did you say you saw the other night? When the other team put up their sticker?"

Akito blinked, confused. "Um…It was about eight, Ikki-kun, maybe more," he said, tiny voice clearly puzzled. He shuffled over to Ikki, fang regalia clenched in one of his small hands. He wrapped his other arm around the Crow's, and Ikki tugged his arm away.

"Right…" Ikki trailed off. Kazu shifted slightly, remembering what the people had done, and realizing that the team was larger than Kogarasumaru made him uncomfortable. This wasn't a parts war, the rules weren't set, and even if it was just a few more people…they obviously had no policy against violence. He saw Ikki take another quick look around the wall, and recoiled slightly when he saw the Crow's dark eyes fixed determinedly on Kazu; like he was trying to convince himself that he was right.

"Kazu, you're going to have to sit out."

* * *

The blonde tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry. Was he really the useless? Kazu tried to stop his feet from taking the step back that he'd become so used to; a reflex for when he wanted to run. _Ikki must have a reason…right? He said it himself that I was fast…but if he needed me, he'd let me fight. _Kazu's mind ran over the possibilities, desperate to find the reason that Ikki would leave him behind. Unable to find an answer on his own, the Jet refocused on his team leader.

"…why me?" the blonde asked, still struggling to regain his voice. Ikki's expression confused him; it looked calculating, calm, but still had a hint of something more…like determination.

Ikki shifted forward a step towards the team, and motioned back around the corner, into the wide and empty parking lot. "There're only five people out there. I don't know where the others are…but I don't like it. I need a back up plan, Kazu, and you're the only one for the job."

Kazu just continued to stare into Ikki's eyes, trying to decipher _why_. _Why_ Ikki thought that Kazu should be the one with out a chance, _why_ Ikki wouldn't let Kazu fight alongside him. Kazu tried again, voice still giving away how desperate he was for an answer.

"But why does it have to be me?"

The Crow blinked and prodded Kazu in the ribs, pointing a little behind the group. Kazu understood immediately and rolled back out of hearing; Ikki wanted to talk to Kazu alone, but about _what_?

_Am I really _that_ weak? That much of a dead weight?_

Ikki looked back into Kazu's eyes, dark brown boring into sky blue. "Kazu, who else could keep an eye on the situation while keeping _completely unseen_?"

--

Kazu's rush of thoughts halted abruptly, the next one spoken aloud. "What?"

"C'mon Kazu, nobody _else_ on the team can run so fast that they can't be _seen_," Ikki said, a trace of something like pride in his eyes. Pride of having such an amazing rider on his team, pride of having _Kazu_ on his team…

Kazu swallowed. "What do I have to do?"

"Don't let them see you, never let them see you," said his leader. "You're not just our watcher, you're the back-up plan."

The blonde blinked; seemed simple enough. "So…no matter what, I can't come into their sight?"

Ikki nodded. "Not until I tell you. But you have to trust me on this."

"…I do."

* * *

As Kazu sped off to the other side of the makeshift battlefield, Ikki skated back to his bewildered team. Emiri looked slightly harassed; she was most likely trying to figure out what Ikki had said to Kazu. Ikki swallowed; _let's just hope that she doesn't think I pissed him off or yelled at him or something…she's scary with her little 'power of love' thing…_

Akito rolled up to Ikki, fang regalia newly covering his socks; he must have put them on while Ikki had been talking to Kazu. "Ikki-kun, where did Kazu-kun just go?" His wide eye was staring up at the Crow, and Ikki looked off to the side; he hated it when the smaller boy looked at him like that…all _adoring_ and what not.

"He uh…he has a different job." Ikki shook his dark spikes before setting his jaw; _Kazu will be fine._ The Crow reached over and shifted the Shark's eye patch over to the left side; "Let's go then."

--

"Oh, look who decided to show up," came a voice full of mocking as the team rolled out from behind their ledge. "And _just in time_…" The speaker was a woman, standing at the head of the five people in front of the five teens. Her arms and legs were revealed by a skimpy outfit of dark jeans shorts and a black tank top, and all the skin showing, aside from her face, was completely covered by a thin black spider web pattern stretching across her pale skin. Her hands were spider like, with dark, blood red nails that were unusually long. The woman's thin fingers traced the outline of a coiled whip at her waist, and she smiled, white gleaming through more of that blood red. "Such a cute team, too…" Ikki heard a dark chuckle from the team behind her, and he narrowed his eyes as he inspected them.

The woman's team consisted of a four ragged looking men, probably all in their early twenties, all dressed in the black with a belt with the same color of red at the woman's nails and lips. They all had the same smug look on their face, and that alone pissed Ikki off. _Are they underestimating us!?_ The Crow's upper lip twitched slightly, and he rolled forward.

"What the hell do you want with us?"

The leader's lips curled. "Oh, I just wanted to meet the boy rumored to be the next Sky King….I mean, who wouldn't?" As the tall woman skated forward, Ikki's eyes flashed downwards at hers and the teams' AT's; they were all a monotone black, with gleaming blood red wheels. Ikki stood his ground as the leader of Chibatsu reached out to the younger boy and ran a long finger nail along his jawbone. "And such a _cute_ candidate," she repeated. "One wouldn't expect such a young rider to be so highly thought of in the world of Air Trek, and even after such a short time."

Ikki nose wrinkled and he knocked her hand to the side. "What's it to you?"

She sneered. "Just mentioning." She brought a shining finger nail to her blood red lips and winked at Ikki, who kept his glare icy.

"So why the hell're we here?" Ikki repeated; he didn't like the feeling of not knowing where the rest of that woman's team was, and wanted to get whatever she wanted with him over with as quickly as possible, hopefully without an appearance from the other members of her team; as impossible as that seemed.

"Oh, we're just here for a little battle. We could bet, if you like."

Ikki lifted his chin a little higher; "but first, who the hell're you?"

"Oh, excuse me; we haven't been properly introduced, have we dear?" The woman asked with mock sincerity, and Ikki swore inwardly at her for underestimating them again. And how the _hell_ did she find out about Simca's plans for him anyway? _I thought that was kind of a inside thing, how did it get out…?_ Ikki's attention was brought back to the woman when she began to speak again. "My name is Hatsuko, and these are my boys."

Ikki lifted his chin a little higher, and the team behind the woman, Hatsuko, laughed again. The brunette clenched his teeth before replying; "And your team is Chibatsu?"

"Correct," came the reply with a smile. "And of course, we already know who you are. With a team as old as ours, we hear news from all over Japan. So of course we just _had_ to come and say 'hello', now didn't we?"

The smile wasn't returned. "Yeah…well, what kind of battle did you have in mind?"

"Oh, we'd just have a short little battle, Itsuki-kun," Ikki growled when she used his name. "You know, to get to know each other a little better."

"Oh yeah? And how the hell does _that_ work?"

"Well you know…a person's fighting style can tell a lot about a person, and I'm just oh so _curious_ about you…"

"All this over a rumor that I'm supposed to be Sky King?"

"Yes…" Hatsuko traced her finger along her whip on her waist again, looking at it with a strange expression in her eyes, then she returned her gaze to Ikki again, but this time, there was non of her previous mocking kindness; those eyes were just plain furious. "I want to know how a boy of your age and inexperience could possible be able to be called "the most likely candidate for Sky King."

Ikki held his ground, but he clenched his teeth at the sudden change of attitude in the woman. "And what are we betting?" Hatsuko finally took her whip out of her belt loop. Ikki eyed it warily; he'd never been fond of whips. She flicked it slightly, and it wrapped lightly around Ikki's neck. At the sound of Emiri's squeak of surprise, Ikki whipped his head around, neck getting painfully burnt, but the shock of his prediction coming true desensitized him to it; four storm riders had suddenly jumped out of the windows in the adjacent building, and they had quickly restrained the other riders in Kogarasumaru. All of the others except for Kazu.

Ikki strained his eyes and searched into the darkness for any sign of the blonde-haired speed rider, but there was none; _no wonder he was named 'Stealth'…_Ikki thought, somewhat relieved that Kazu still hadn't revealed himself. If anything happened, Kogarasumaru might need somebody to get them freed or at least go get help. Hatsuko tugged Ikki's neck again, and he stumbled forward slightly. The woman's thin fingers grabbed his chin and pulled his face up to hers;

"Oh, nothing special, Itsuki-kun…just your life."

* * *

**A/N:** Aw, more Masi rambles. I thought I had shut up too. But! I kinda had to point out; Hatsuko, her name means 'eight' and 'child', for you non-japanese lingo speakers...that sounded weird, but you catch my drift. Thankies again for halping me chooooooose, Rae-nee! -snuggles-

Okay! NOW, see you all next chapter! ...unless I edit...

...-masi!


	5. Slight Complications

**A/N: **Gasp! ANOTHER update? Already??

Yeah...well it helped that I had this one completely planned out, and I didn't need to worry aobut filling in gaps in the chapter's plot...so...that helped tonsssss.

But this is the chapter of epic-nesssss! In a sense...but...you'll see. -w-;;

Ooooooooh, and don't get mad at the lack of Kazu in this chapter, you'll see loooots of him in chapter 6! I proooomise, guys! But hopefully this chapter will be slightly more satisfying than the last one was; to tell the truth, the last one felt like a total filler to me. ;; Sorry gaiiiiiis. But this one's longer! And hopefully better!

And thankies to all that have story alerted EotS to up to this point, it makes me happy to see that people are reading it! OH! AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE 1000 HITS TOTAL! I LOVE YOU ALLLLLL!

...oh, and...beware the end...BAD cliffy. ;A;

-Masi

* * *

"…fuck," Ikki swore, tugging his wrists at the tight rope bonds around them. The thick twine was threaded through the mesh wire of the fence surrounding the lot, and the fact that Ikki couldn't moved pissed him off to no end. Not to be able to punch that bitch that had told her bastards to tie him and the rest of Kogarasumaru up. But at least _they_ weren't being looked at like they were…Ikki shuddered. From this position, he must have looked like-

"Hmmm, I caught such a cute snack." Hatsuko put a blood red fingernail to her matching lips, and Ikki's nose wrinkled as his lips formed a snarl. "And you're so conveniently stuck to my web," she continued. "Just like a little fly, unable to move."

_Well…frankly, that's what it feels like,_ the Crow thought. With his arms and legs bound, that's just what he was; immobile.

Hatsuko sauntered up to Ikki, whip held lightly in her left hand and trailing behind her. She raised her right hand when she got close enough, and she held it up to his neck, dark red fingernails contrasting on his paler skin. "Hm, such a lovely pair of colors…You know, Itsuki-kun, I've heard that this color of crimson matches blood…I think it would be best to confirm it, don't you?" The woman ran her hand down Ikki's neck, pressing her forefinger's fingernail into his skin; Ikki grit his teeth as the crimson from her nails was joined by a warmer and metallic smelling red. "Oh…they do match."

"Bitch," Ikki spat, "What the hell do you want?"

Hatsuko's lips curled into a sneer. "Oh, didn't I tell you? Your _life_, Itsuki-kun." The spider-like woman paced back and forth in front of the Crow; "I can't afford for some mere _child_ to obtain _my _Sky Regalia, can I? If you're really as talented as they say, which I doubt…" Hatsuko eyed his current position and let out a soft chuckle. "If you _are_ such a little prodigy, I can't take any chances, right?" Without giving Ikki time to respond, she sighed happily. "Oh well, it's a pity I won't have to hear anymore rumors about the future Sky King, Minami Itsuki…except possibly some rumors of your _death_…if I don't start them myself." Her team cackled

"Ikki-kun!" Ikki's eyes widened when Akito managed to take over Agito in his distress, and his attention was momentarily brought back to his team. Emiri looked scared, while all the boys had a mixture of harassment and fear on their faces; along with a trace of disgust from the Shark at what he had just uttered. They were all tied by the wrists, then those bindings were later intertwined until they were all trapped together. The other members of Chibatsu had them cornered, or so Ikki thought, until another member approached the group from the west side of the lot; he had _chained_ the fucking exit! Kogarasumaru was now surrounded by ten feet of chain link, aside from a few dead ended alleyways. At this thought, Ikki did another quick scan for any sign of Kazu, and, seeing none, he sighed inwardly; the Jet, at least, was still safe.

Hatsuko regained his attention by moving her whip to her right hand. "You know, Itsuki-kun…I think I make just have to punish you for…oh, I don't know…" The woman flicked the whip off to the side, then moved back a few feet. "Maybe…for humiliating me?" Hatsuko whipped the Crow hard on the chest, his t-shirt ripping along where it hit him. "For making me and my efforts to get stronger," _crack_, "and my efforts to get _higher_," _crack_, "all just seem…_pitiful_." Hatsuko cracked her whip across Ikki's torso a fourth time, and his shirt was now completely ripped, his chest was littered with red streaks.

Ikki swallowed and held his breath; he would _not _give Hatsuko the pleasure of knowing he was in pain. _But _shit_ that hurt, _Ikki mentally swore again before scolding himself for even thinking about feeling that pain. He bit his lip as Hatsuko struck him again, finally breaking through the skin on his raw torso, and he heard a few small sounds of surprise and a small squeak from his team when the blood spilled down his stomach. Ikki inwardly groaned; _Shit this sucks…but…at least it's not the others, _he thought. _At least I'm the only one getting hurt over this, not the others, not Kazu…_

Hatsuko tilted her head to the side, and her lips curled. "Doesn't that _hurt_ Itsuki-kun? It's okay to scream…it'd make it nicer for the both of us; it's not good to bottle things up, and I want to _hear_ your pain."

"Yeah, well you can throw that hope down the drain with that fucking ugly nail polish of yours," Ikki spat, voice full of malice. Now she was _really_ pissing him off.

Hatsuko clicked her tongue lightly on the top of her mouth; "Now now, Itsuki-kun. Foul language doesn't make you seem tough, dear."

"Fuck off," barked the Crow.

She smiled. "You know, Itsuki-kun, I think I _will_ be going now…" Hatsuko looked over at her cronies and one of the smaller ones -a twitchy looking man of about twenty- nodded. "Ah, yes. Time for us to leave," she said, her facial expression hinting at something more.

"Why're you running off?" Ikki snarled. "I thought you bastards wanted to kill me."

"Oh we will," Hatsuko replied happily, but the joy didn't reach her cold eyes. "See, we have a little bomb waiting to blow you to pieces…I'd love to watch, but I'd rather stay alive; that Sky Regalia's mine." She snapped and her team lined up behind her, their faces all smug. Hatsuko leaned in towards Ikki, dug her index fingernail deep into his skin just above his belly button, and drug it up slowly until she reached where his lower ribs met. The Crow swallowed and bit the inside of his right cheek, and the spider-like woman smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Itsuki-kun. We…_won't_ be seeing you later, then."

Chibatsu skated off quickly, and Ikki felt a gust of wind blow past him as they left through the narrow alley, using the fire escape as a ladder; the walls were too close to get enough momentum for a wall ride. As the last man jumped up out of the lot, he dropped a lit match; they had covered the entire fire escape with gasoline, and the structure burst into flame as the team skated off, cackling.

--

Ikki waited a few moments, waiting to make sure that the team was completely gone before coughing slightly to clear his throat; "Kazu, get your ass out here and untie me." The blonde skated out quickly, his eyes downcast and covered almost completely by his hat. "Wait, Kazu, when the hell did you get over there?"

Kazu looked up, and his blue eyes were troubled. He immediately looked away; "Uh…right before they left. I had been in the alleyway before," he mumbled, and he moved forward to untie Ikki's arms. _So that wind was Kazu…_? Ikki looked over at his team, and they were all struggling to get free as well.

"Oi, Emiri," Ikki called. "Your wrists are small, try to wiggle them out. Agito, you too." The two complied and began to tug on their wrists. When Ikki felt a small amount of pressure lessen from his right wrist, he looked back over at Kazu, dark eyebrows raising; the blonde's fingers kept slipping and fumbling. Ikki felt a small tremble and realized that Kazu's hands were shaking horribly. When his right arm was free, Ikki moved to untie his other arm, and he nodded towards the group; he should get them unbound as well.

"So, Ikki, we have no idea where this bomb is, or when the hell it's gonna blow up?" Onigiri asked, voice filled with apprehension.

"No fucking clue," Ikki replied. He got his left arm and legs free just as Kazu had untied the central knot connecting all the team members together, and it loosened their bindings enough to allow them to slip their wrists out. "So I say we move out as quickly as possible."

Kogarasumaru nodded, and they all looked at Ikki. The Crow, in turn, looked straight at Kazu. "Well, Kazu, I'm assuming you know whether there're any ways out of here."

The blonde swallowed, but still refused to make eye contact. "Uh…well, I would've recommended the fire escape, but seeing as that's a fire ball now, I dunno. We could try breaking the lock on the fence, or just making another exit."

"Make another exit? How the fuck are we supposed to…?" Agito trailed off mid-sentence when Ikki looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hey, Agito, think you could aim one of your fangs in a…" Ikki pointed around, one eye closed, until he found a wide patch of the chain link fence, "…that general direction?"

"…fuck, why?"

"Would you rather get blown to bits?'

Agito swore again before turning in the direction Ikki had gestured at, and he swung his leg, the fang regalia shooting a quick fang directly at the fence. The result was a very ragged gap in the fence, maybe three feet off the ground and barely high enough for a fully grown man to fit through standing up.

Ikki shrugged; "Good enough, Buccha, you and Onigiri first." As bad as it sounded, those were the two Ikki was most worried about. The two larger riders made the through the gap though, some how, and the rest of the riders followed. Ikki skated up before Agito and turned a little sideways to flip through almost horizontally. The rest followed, and Ikki started skating a little faster, catching up with the other two boys. Kazu appeared beside him right before Agito and Ikki ran his eyes over the group; all unscarred.

_Wait…where's_…_?_ Ikki's eyes widened as he realized what they were missing.

"_Kazu-samaaaa, help!_"

--

Emiri's squeal tore through the darkening alley, and Kazu's head whipped around at the sound of his name, blue eyes wide with shock. He turned, glancing at Ikki before sprinting off back to the fence, and Ikki swore before following.

When Ikki got back to the fence surrounding the empty lot, he found Kazu staring at a sobbing Emiri, who had managed to get her leg and arm wedged painfully into a notch in the chain links. Kazu moved forward right as Ikki approached them, and he started to pull hard on one of the sides of the notch. Ikki followed him and pulled on the opposite side, trying to create enough of an opening for the girl to get her leg unhooked.

"Oh Kazu-sama, I'm so sorry!" Emiri blubbered, her eyes filled with tears of embarrassment and pain.

"I-it's fine, Emiri," Kazu replied, voice strained by the amount of strength he was pushing on the section of the fence with.

"But, the bomb could…!"

"It's _fine_, just be quiet so we can get you the hell out of here."

Emiri nodded and bit her lip, tears still spilling out of her eyes. Kazu suddenly hooked himself onto the fence, climbed up a little ways, and began using his Air Treks to push on the fence. The strength of his leg moved the fence enough for Ikki to un-wedge Emiri's leg from the fence, and Kazu sighed when the girl was also able to wriggles her arm out as well.

Ikki looked at Kazu, who still had that odd expression in his eyes, but the predicament had distracted him enough that he was able to make eye contact with the smaller boy. The blonde shifted to get down from his position oh the fence, when his leg slipped through the same notch the Emiri's had previously been caught in. Ikki swore and moved to help him, but Kazu shook his head.

"Take Emiri to the guys; I can get out myself."

"Kazu, don't be retarded, you can't…"

The Jet's blue eyes pierced into Ikki's with a fire identical to his own road's; "I can take care of myself, now take her and get out of here."

"But Kazu, there's a fucking _bomb,_" Ikki tried to reason hoarsely.

"I know that, I'll catch up in a second." Kazu turned away and began to shift his leg back and forth slightly, and he winced when the metal dug further into his pale skin through his torn pant leg.

"Kazu-sama-," Emiri started, but she got cut of by the blonde.

"_Just GO._"

Ikki grimaced and grabbed Emiri's uninjured arm and pulled it over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's move our asses." The girl looked back over her shoulder as Ikki dragged her arm and let out a little whimper.

"Will Kazu-sama really be able to get himself out in time?" Emiri's eyes were worried, and she was staring at Ikki. "Because I was trying rally hard to get myself out and not have to bother him…"

"He'll be fine," Ikki mumbled, his voice thick. _He will be…he'll be sprinting up to us any second,_ Ikki thought, hoping to convince himself; he was probably more worried about his best friend than Emiri was anyway, if possible.

As the two riders skated back up to the group, Agito looked at them with an odd expression in his eyes, including amusement. "What, you leave with one person and come back with another? Where'd that fucking beanpole go?"

Ikki's nose twitched slightly in annoyance. "He just get held up for a bit, he'll catch up in a sec." Onigiri looked at Ikki for a moment before sighing; Ikki whipped his head around at the sound. "What?"

"Where's Kazu?"

"I told you, he just got held up for a bit," Ikki said again, annoyed. He didn't like having to repeat himself, especially when he didn't actually believe it either.

"Yeah, but if it's no big deal, what're you freaking out over?" the boy asked, wide face mildly amused, but still curious.

"I'm not-…"

"Yeah yeah…but you sure are twitchy for someone who's not worried."

Ikki opened his mouth to retort, and was mid-inhale before he froze;

_Boom!_

* * *

**A/N:** \(oAo)/ TOLD YOU IT WAS BAD. I'LL UPDATE 6 SOON, PROMISE!


	6. Quaking Concerns

**A/N:** Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh...this chapter feel shorter, even though it's the longest one yet...word-count-wise.

I guess it's cause there's like...NO dialouge. But I feel like I'm missing stuff from the plot I had planned out...-will probably remember tonight- ...Oh well, I'll just shove it into the next chapter, ne?

But yus! Thankies to all who reviewed the last couple chapters, and all that junk, along with all the story alerts, seriously, I luv you allll. And Rae-neeee, hontouni, just feel better, ne? -snuggles-

Oh and...the reason these chapters kinda come out kinda quickly is that fact that I don't really spend much time editing. Occasionally Nanami-chan will look through the chapters, buuuuut...otherwise, not so much. So please excuse all the spelling issues that I'm sure there are.

Ja, I'll see you in the seventh chapter, ne?

Luvs to allllllll - Masi.

* * *

"_KAZU_!"

Ikki ignored Emiri's squeal of "Kazu-sama!" as he tossed the smaller girl's body at Onigiri and tore off back towards the empty lot and Kazu.

_Shit…shit shit shit, Kazu, why the hell didn't you just let me help you?_ The Crow urged his feet forward with as much speed as he could muster, kicking down on the pavement with his AT's with all his strength, and with each step he swore under his breath. Ikki skidded to a halt in front of the rubble that had once been the fence, mixed with various other broken objects, pieces of bricks, and…_Kazu!_

Ikki lunged forward and started moving the bricks until he could get the limp blonde boy free. Kazu's head nodded to the side before he blinked his eyes a few times, then sat up on his own, Ikki's hand gripping his shoulder. "Damn…" Kazu muttered, voice low. "Well, that sucked…"

Ikki swallowed and grit his teeth; "Yeah…Hey, Kazu, just keep your eyes open for me, okay?" Kazu blinked up at him and swallowed before nodding. The older boy then tugged Kazu off the ground, trying to stand him up when Kazu suddenly collapsed, swearing. The Crow knelt down and moved the blonde's wrist from where it was grasped on his left leg, only to mimic Kazu's swear; he leg had been deeply cut by the fence, the gash wrapping around his entire lower leg and bleeding freely.

Ikki grimaced and reached for the back of his shirt, the front being shredded, and he tugged it off before wrapping it around Kazu's ankle, hoping to stop the bleeding at least until he could get him home. The Crow tugged Kazu back up and pulled him onto his back, holding the smaller boy under his knees, and leaned forward, trying to fix his balance with the extra weight. But _damn_ that was hard.

Ikki moved forward slowly, still trying to deal with the extra weight before he was able to move more steadily, then he picked up the pace. Legs finally moving faster, he skated past where the rest of Kogarasumaru was by taking a quick right before he met them; he didn't want to have to stop. Ikki felt a splash on his forehead, and his eyes darted to the sky; _God dammit, why the hell does it have to be raining?! _The boy felt his spikes being weighed down, and his eyebrows furrowed; it wasn't only him, but Kazu was getting soaked as well as the rain began to pour down in torrents on the two boys.

* * *

Ikki finally came to a halt outside Kazu's front door, panting, and he set Kazu down for a moment to get the key from under the mat at the door. After a moment of scuffling on the ground with his arm stuffed under the mat, Ikki stood up with the key grasped between his index and middle fingers. Fiddling with the small metal key and lock, the Crow finally succeeded in opening the door and turned to pick up Kazu, only to grimace.

The Jet had a look of exhaustion on his face, blue eyes under lined by dark circles, and his soaked blonde hair was dirtied from the roots down. The boy's thin frame was shaking as well; the rain was still pouring down and soaked him to the core, Ikki as well. Kazu blinked slightly before flinching slightly as Ikki bent down to pick him up again, strong arms supporting him from the undersides of his knees and his underarms. Ikki kicked off his AT's before quickly padding up the stairs to Kazu's room, then setting Kazu down again onto the clean bed. _Shit…I'll clean those later._ Ikki frowned before he brought his attention back to Kazu and his frown became another grimace, due to the blonde's expression.

Kazu's eyes looked dead; the blue fogged over with pain and something else, and Ikki swallowed. He couldn't bear it; to see Kazu, his best friend of so many years and such a fiery temper and spirit, just laying there and looking so defeated and helpless…Ikki couldn't bear it. The Crow turned on his heel and tore his eyes from the blonde, wandering throughout the house until he finally found the first aid kit. Ikki grabbed it and hurried back to Kazu room, stopping by the bathroom first to pick up a towel and damp washcloth; the blonde's leg was bleeding too much.

Ikki shut the door behind him before he moved over to Kazu's bed, where the blonde was laying on his side, injured leg laying on top of the right one. The Crow grimaced again at Kazu's eyes before he set to work, tearing off the bottom half of Kazu's left pant leg at the previously made tear before he started washing and wrapping up the boy's leg, eyes always keeping check on Kazu's dull eyes.

The Crow did his best with bandaging Kazu's leg, but it was obvious that he wasn't exactly a doctor; the bandages were unevenly distributed and messy looking, but as long as it kept it clean and stopped the bleeding, Ikki didn't really mind the appearance. He moved up on the bed, and noticed a huge tear on the back of Kazu's sweatshirt; _Oh...so that's why he's on his side…fuck. _Ikki swore mentally before shifting the white material a little to the left, trying to get a better view of the injury.

A pair of huge gashes were embedded in Kazu's pale skin, marking a lopsided cross, and they were staining his back a dark red. Ikki bit his lip; _how the hell did _that_ happen? _He covered the wounds with the washcloth before tugging the blonde's sopping sweatshirt off, hoping not to irritate it; it looked fucking painful enough already. Ikki set to work bandaging Kazu's back as well, but had to lift the smaller boy off the bed slightly, only to find him still shaking with the cold. As soon as Ikki finished he rechecked Kazu for anymore tears or any breaks, and, finding none, sighed halfheartedly and tossed Kazu a pair of dry shorts from the drawer; he needed to stop shivering, it wouldn't help with his exhaustion. "Kazu, put those on, 'kay? I'm taking a shower." He heard Kazu shuffle as he shifted to do what his team leader had ordered him to do.

Ikki wandered out of Kazu's room again, heading for the shower, but he paused for a moment when a little red light caught his eye. The Crow took a back step to look at the thermostat, only to find that it was about the temperature outside _in_ the house. Ikki scowled and turned it up. _That's what you get when you leave a kid to live alone for…however long Ayaka's gone for. _Ikki sighed and turned into the bathroom; time to wash of all the blood that that fucking spider had made him spill.

* * *

Ikki walked into Kazu's room to see the blonde sprawled out on his stomach, eyes blank and drooping, body still quivering. Ikki swore; even with the heat cranking and Kazu in dry clothes, the skinny boy was still shivering. The dark haired boy dried off his head before tossing his towel on the end of the bed, picking the box of bandages up for himself. After a moment's pause, he tugged the blanket over the blonde, and Kazu shifted, blue eyes following Ikki's movements throughout the room as the spiky-haired boy proceeded to messily wrap up his own torso, wincing occasionally.

Ikki finally flopped down on Kazu's bed, exhausted as well, only to find Kazu looking blankly at the sheets, still shaking violently. The Crow grimaced; _he's going to pass out if he wastes anymore energy shaking that fucking much…and why the hell is he still awake?_ The older boy's mouth quirked to the side before he finally decided; if Kazu wasn't going to stop shivering, Ikki'd have to make him stop, and warm him up himself. _Again…why can't he just go to sleep…? It'll be so fucking awkward…_

The Crow shuffled onto the bed, and Kazu looked up at him with those fogged eyes again, making Ikki move his ass; he didn't like that expression. He scooted under the covers, only to find them just as cold, if not _colder_, than the rest of the house. Ikki hesitantly pulled the smaller boy closer to him, mindful of the gashes on the blonde's shoulder blades, and nearly jumped when he felt how frigid Kazu was against the un-bandaged portion of his torso.

With the added warmth, Kazu's shivering died down a bit, and Ikki sighed with relief; even though he was still cold, the occasional shaking showed that Kazu's body still had some energy left in it. But when the Jet's body was racked with another bout of shivering, Ikki had had it. He shifted more toward the boy, pressing the blonde's smaller form against him, before he murmured in a low voice; "Kazu, help me out here." He put on hand on the blonde's hip and pushed, trying to get the boy on top; Kazu got the message and shifted along with Ikki, eyes still clouded over with something Ikki couldn't place.

"…Kazu, what the hell're you doing?"

"Hmm…?" Kazu raised his blue eyes to look at Ikki, but there was not even a hint of curiosity in the azure depths.

"What the hell're you holding yourself up for?" Ikki scowled at the blonde, dark eyes still trying to bore into Kazu's; the blonde was propping himself up with his elbows, knees slightly bent, and he was barely touching Ikki. The older boy suddenly knocked the Kazu's arms to the side, causing the shivering blonde to flop down awkwardly onto Ikki's chest. Sure, it stung a little, but the Crow's reason for Kazu's being on top of him was for the boy to get warmed up; hovering an inch of so above the older boy wasn't exactly going to help. Ikki's eyes softened a little when Kazu racking shivers started slowing before completely dissolving, and he kept his arms wrapped around the boy's lower back; the blonde's cool skin actually felt _good_ against Ikki's throbbing stomach, acting as a sort of…ice pack, if you will.

Ikki felt Kazu shift on top of him, body not really moving, just shuffling slightly to get a more comfortable position, and the older boy frowned when he noticed that Kazu was still awake; the Jet's dark circles were even more prominent, shading the glimpse of blue still peeking out from Kazu's lids. It was almost like the boy was _trying_ to stay awake. Ikki scowled and lifted his hand, moving it to Kazu's face, and gently nudged the boy's eyes closed; Kazu flinched slightly, but didn't move away. Ikki let his head fall back again, staring at the ceiling, keeping his fingers over the blonde's eyes until Kazu's breathing had slowed enough that the knew he was asleep. He pulled his hand away, paused for a moment, then wrapped it back around Kazu; _You know, to keep him warm…_

* * *

"_Ha…ha…" Kazu leant forward, hands on his knees, mouth open in a heavy pant; _Why the hell am I running this hard even in my _dreams_? _Kazu's brow twitched; maybe he really _was_ that obsessed with AT's. But it had felt like he was running for his life, not for the sport, as usual. The Jet looked around him and recoiled slightly; he knew this place. He was in the same spot…Kazu looked both ways before skating cautiously up to the mouth of the alleyway, hearing voices, and stopped dead in his tracks when he picked them up. His inched his way to the edge of the stone wall and peeked out._

"_You know, Itsuki-kun…I think I make just have to punish you for…oh, I don't know…" The woman, the leader of Chibatsu, Kazu assumed, paused for a moment. "Maybe…for humiliating me?" At the sound of a whip cracking Kazu's eyes widened and he recoiled. Hadn't he already seen this once? Wasn't one time _enough_? "For making me and my efforts to get stronger," crack, "and my efforts to get higher," crack, "all just seem…pitiful." Kazu sprinted away at the sound of a fourth crack, hand over his mouth. _How the hell could any person be so fucking _heartless_…I don't _get_ it… _Kazu thought as his stomach was turned inside out with disgust. _

_As the blonde stood shakily and wiped his mouth, only to find Ikki bleeding again when he snuck another look out at the two teams in the deserted lot. Kazu swallowed hard, throat still raw, and clenched his eyes shut after skating back into his alley. He heard Ikki swear valiantly and his mouth twitched slightly before falling back into a grimace._

"_Oh we will," Kazu's lip lifted in a snarl; he already loathed the woman, and he'd barely even seen a couple glimpses of her. "See, we have a little bomb waiting to blow you to pieces…I'd love to watch, but I'd rather stay alive; that Sky Regalia's mine." Kazu swore inwardly and poked his head around the corner – _Why the hell am I…I've already seen this, and I don't want to have to see it again… _– only to find that _bitch_ dragging her knife-like fingernail up Ikki's stomach; Kazu almost wretched again to see his best friend in such a situation. Even if Ikki wasn't showing it, it must have fucking hurt like _hell_. "It was nice meeting you, Itsuki-kun. We…_won't_ be seeing you later, then."_

_Kazu's ears perked at the sound of Chibatsu's AT motors running, and he swore; the only way out that they'd left open was the exact alleyway that he'd been hiding in. Kazu inhaled sharply - wincing slightly at the cold air stinging his throat – and pressed down hard on his left foot, turning right immediately after his feet hit the ground. Judging by the fact that he could only see a blur except for that foot of ground in front of him that was his road, Kazu assumed he couldn't be seen – or rather, he realized that he must have been invisible, because Ikki hadn't mentioned seeing him – and the Jet came to a halt behind a dumpster, curling into a ball and trying to stay silent. _

_There was a the familiar _whoosh_ of an ignited flame and its associated flash, and Kazu tried to silence his heavy breathing; the team was _supposedly_ gone, but…At the sound of Ikki's voice, Kazu shuffled out from behind the dumpster, but seeing Ikki that hurt…Minami Itsuki, that _hurt_…it made Kazu cringe again. _

--

_And I couldn't even keep my eyes open for him…_

--

Ikki blinked, snapped out of his thoughts – he hadn't been able to sleep, even when he was so tired, and in such a comfortable and warm situation – by a sudden jerk from Kazu. He looked down his nose at the smaller boy and found Kazu with his face buried in Ikki's chest, fingers gripping at the sheets beneath them. However, this time Kazu wasn't shaking with cold; it was fear.

The Crow pulled Kazu up a little more, until the boy's head was tucked safely into the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms a little tighter around the boy when he heard a soft whine from the blonde and he swallowed; _Why the hell is he so freaked…?_

"…We're safe now Kazu, nobody's gonna hurt us anymore," Ikki mumbled softly, dark eyes slightly clouded with worry.

_It's not _me_ I'm worried about…_

Kazu scrunched up a little more on top of Ikki, and the Crow's eyelids closed half-way before he lifted his head, hesitated, then moved forward again, pressing his face against the top of Kazu's head, nose and lips buried in his best friend's golden locks.

"You'll be fine…I promise."

_But will _you_, Ikki? Will _you _be okay? Because _you're_ the one I'm worried about..._

* * *

**A/N:** Why do I always have these...? Muuh, well. If you didn't figure it out, any random italics are Kazu's thoughts/dream. Cause this chapter is an Ikki POV one, so this is the only little snippet of Kazu that you guys get. ;A; Sorryyyyyyyyy. HOWEVER. Next chapter is allll Kazu POV, so...yus!

Next time then! Oh, and that's Kazu panting...at the...opening of the dream thing... -fail- Oh, and if you don't get the blurbs then...pay more attention, as far as the one about the eyes go. And you're just kinda dull of you don't get the other ones...;;;;;

OKAY. DONE NOW. I PROMISE.


	7. Reoccurences

**A/N: **Ajkahgdgadkj...it's been a moooooonth.

...woops. Sorry guuuuuuys. But June was a loooooooooong month; there was swimming, being grounded for a MONTH from computer, meaning I had to be veeeery sneaky; swimming; finals; swimming; end of school; swimming; my sister's graduation; swimming; my sister and mother's cruise to Europe, leaving me practically stranded at my house; swimming; a swim meet, involving me staying at Abu-tan's place for an entire weekend; MORE swimming; and there you go. Maybe swimming affected it...

B-but yeah guys, sorry for the delay. And also, writer's block had a huge part in it...meaning that that ramble was mostly usesless. HURR HURR...woops.

But yus! Longest chapter yet! -proud- AND. ANOTHER HAPPY THING. ISH. I figured it ouuuuut, while flipping through MY NEW AIR GEARS. -got 4-6 Kazu calls his sister "Nee-chan". Ooooooh...woops. Buttt...I don't plan on fixing it in all my older stories, but I'll be using that and Ayaka for her names now, okay?

...I'll shut up now guys, here's your update. Oh and...again, I didn't edit. -fail- Same deal; I'll fix anything if it makes no sense, just PM me.

Lotsa love,

-Masiiii

* * *

Kazu inhaled deeply then sighed; even with the throbbing pain throughout his entire body, he was somehow still extremely comfortable. He blinked his eyes open and found himself staring at a familiar shade of…skin? Kazu blinked again, crystal blue eyes focusing, and he jolted slightly when he realized his position; he was sprawled out on his bed and on top of Ikki, face buried into the other boy's chest. He swallowed as he remembered the previous night's events; the pain, the rush, the sounds, the blood, the feeling of running for his life, seeing Ikki in so much pain.

The Jet lifted his head to peer up at and check on the Crow, only to drop it back lightly on top of Ikki because even just that small movement was exhausting; his entire body felt like dead-weight. Instead, Kazu relaxed into Ikki's loose hold, the Crow's strong arms still loosely wrapped around the blonde. He kept his eyes open, because even though it was the morning, Kazu still saw those images on the back of his eyelids every time he blinked; Ikki tied up and Kazu unable to do anything about it, blood running down his chest, the dark shadows, the burst of flame…

Kazu shifted slightly, body wriggling closer to Ikki's, taking comfort in the warmth of his best friend; it's not like it _meant_ anything…it just felt so damn _comfortable_. And the steady breathing of the boy underneath him also just felt like it made everything better, proved that they could live through anything, as lame as that sounded inside the blonde's own head. The Jet was actually shocked with _himself_ when he let himself tuck his head into the crook of Ikki's neck; again, it didn't mean anything, it just felt…right. He sighed, eyes drooping lazily, arms bent in to rest under Ikki's shoulders. Kazu blinked slowly, before finally wondering _why_ Ikki was holding him like this, and then realizing that he didn't actually _care_.

Kazu flushed before flinching slightly at the sound of Ikki mumbling. He inhaled again, about to roll off of Ikki before his friend found him lying awake and content right on top of him, before he paused. Without thinking, he slowly rest his head on Ikki's chest again, mouth pressed softly against the dip between his prominent collar bones. He hesitated there, before blinking quickly and rolling off of the older boy.

_What did I just…? _Ikki mumbled again next to Kazu, and the smaller boy quickly realized Ikki still had his arms around him. He shifted uncomfortably before closing his eyes, trying to force the reoccurring images out of his head; how awkward would _that_ be, Ikki waking up to find Kazu awake, just laying in his arms…? The blonde blushed at the thought and shut his eyes a little tighter; _I'll be fine if I don't think about it…just think about _now.

Kazu waited patiently for Ikki to wake up, breathing slowly and trying his hardest to appear asleep. When the Crow finally mumbled irritably about the sun and shifted to get up, he paused before sighing and pulling his arms away from Kazu, who, to his own surprise, had actually begun falling back asleep. The sudden movement jolted him a little, and after a moment's pause he found it an appropriate time to open his eyes, slowly and hesitantly.

By the time Kazu's eyes had focused, Ikki was halfway across the room, fiddling with his messy bandages. Kazu shifted to sit up and Ikki's head turned back to look at him, ears perking at the sound.

As soon as Ikki's eyes met Kazu's, Kazu was stuck. All he could do was stare helplessly into Ikki's piercing gaze, those dark eyes boring into his. It looked like Ikki was skeptical, his eyes searching, eyebrows slightly furrowed.

After a long moment of observation, Ikki exhaled and looked back to his bandages. Kazu finally blinked before shuffling to the edge of his bed, left leg held out awkwardly to the side; Kazu had to try his hardest to keep the burning pain from coming back to the deep wound. Ikki noticed this on a side glance, and he turned back and sat heavily down next to Kazu. The blonde flinched slightly when Ikki grabbed hold of his thin leg, putting Kazu off balance before he pulled it tenderly onto his lap. As the crows calloused hands gently pulled off the bandages on his leg, Kazu had to look away; _seeing_ the god damned thing only made it throb worse. After another pause from Ikki, Kazu suddenly felt something cool being rubbed into the gash, and the immediate relief was amazing.

Kazu looked back up at Ikki when he began to feel the pressure of bandages on his leg, still keeping his eyes off of Ikki's workspace. There was a trace of something like pain in Ikki's eyes, and Kazu swallowed when he noticed that Ikki's bandages were falling off and bloodstained. "I-Ikki?" Kazu swallowed when he heard himself stutter.

Ikki looked startled by Kazu's sudden words. "Hm?"

"Are you sure you don't want to well…clean yourself up first?" Kazu looked away after eyeing Ikki's stomach again; it looked so god damned painful, it almost hurt the blonde himself. "I mean…I'm fine."

"Kazu?"

Kazu blinked at Ikki's bored look. "What?"

"Shut up." Ikki let out a small exhale of amusement and finished wrapping up Kazu leg before moving to sit behind Kazu and check his back. Kazu's mouth twisted to the side before he gave up and let Ikki clean up his back as well.

"So…"

Ikki chuckled. "That's not shutting up."

Kazu scowled, even though Ikki wasn't able to see. "So what happened…last night? After..." Kazu trailed off and swallowed, fingers absentmindedly balled into fists and kneading the bed nervously beneath him. _Why the hell am I trying to mess up the fact that things were almost normal?_

"Hm. Well, after you got your ass blown up, the team went back home; Onigiri texted me."

"Ah…so everyone's fine?" _That's not really what I mean, but it's still good to hear…_

"Yup. Now shut the hell up." Kazu obliged again, rolling his shoulders as Ikki put the same cool ointment onto the cross-shaped mark on his back as well. When Ikki had finished, he somersaulted off the bed, feet landing flatly on the ground. Straightening up, Ikki went back to work on his own bandages, Kazu waiting patiently.

"…Kazu?" Ikki kept his broad back turned.

"I thought I was supposed to shut up."

"After you answer…what happened to your back, man?"

Kazu shifted uncomfortably at the thought. "Uh…the fence kinda…scratched it."

Ikki turned to look at him in disbelief. "The _fence_ did that?"

Kazu blinked. "Well, a huge rock bent it first, I think…I don't really think I was registering it much…"

Ikki shook his head and rubbed his forehead with his palm. "Then…when was your last tetanus shot?"

"Uh…three months ago. It lasts for a while though, so I'm fine…"

Ikki grimaced. "Fine." With that, Ikki stuck a piece of tape to the end of the last bandage, pressed it down with a gulp, then tugged on a shirt and his jacket. "C'mon Kazu."

Kazu blinked. "What? Where're we going?"

"School."

--

Ikki pulled Kazu's arm farther around his shoulders and skated forward, Kazu shakily standing by his side, trying to keep all his weight onto his right leg; with the muscles in his left leg torn, that leg was both painful and completely useless. "Since when do _you_ want to go to class, Ikki?"

Ikki smirked slightly. "I didn't say we're going to _class_, just _school_. We're having a team meeting."

Kazu blinked. "Oh." He clenched his teeth as he and Ikki rolled off the sidewalk and onto the road; the less smooth surface caused Kazu's leg to jolt around like crazy, which, to say it frankly, hurt like _hell_.

Ikki seemed to notice that something was wrong and pulled Kazu up higher onto his shoulders, warm hand gripped tightly around the blonde's wrist. The Jet gave up trying to stand up properly and lifted all the weight off of his left leg, relying completely on Ikki to keep him balanced. He sighed, realizing how fucking _weak_ he must look. The older boy next to him looked over and raised an eyebrow at the sound.

"What's got _your_ panties in a bunch?" Ikki asked, voice slightly humorous.

"Nothing, and I don't _wear_ panties, Bastard."

"What, you're going commando?" Ikki started laughing at his own joke and Kazu snorted.

"Shut up." Leave it to that bird-brained idiot to get Kazu's mind off of anything that was bothering him; Ikki had always had that little talent, ever since Kazu could remember…well, after Ikki was by his side, instead of the one bullying him. No matter what was wrong, Ikki somehow _always_ made it better; whether the Crow was a loud distraction, a soft hand, warm smile, he could always fix anything. Shit, the boy could _do_ anything.

Kazu scoffed at himself when he realized he was blushing again. _Why the _hell_…? I'm acting so fucking _retarded_ today. _Kazu swore to himself and Ikki laughed again and knocked Kazu in the forehead.

"It was just a joke, man." He grinned, and Kazu elbowed him in the side, even though the resulting jolt made him lose his balance and almost fall.

"I know, I know."

--

When Ikki sat down on top of one the desks in the middle of the room, a feeling of déjà vu swept over the team; they'd been in the exact same room, exact same desks. However, the feeling this time was different; there was no confusion, no fear, just that solemn realization of what happened, and who got hurt, the feeling of relief that the battle's over and done with.

However, Kazu still couldn't get the thought that the team was _actually_ gone into his head; he was convinced that something was wrong, that it wasn't over. But when Ikki spoke, Kazu's ears pricked and the ominous feeling was forgotten; all of his attention was on the team leader.

"So, which of you guys got busted up?" Ikki asked, his eyes scanning the room.

Buccha and Onigiri both mumbled something about their wrists just being a little raw from the ropes, and Akito held up both his hands, overlong sleeves covering up his tiny wrists.

"Ikki-kun, my wrists got rope-burnt too," he mewled. "Will you kiss them better?"

Ikki ignored the tiny Shark, and he looked skeptically at Emiri. "Oi, Adachi, did you hear what I said?" The girl jolted slightly, and her head turned quickly to look at Ikki with wide eyes.

"I-uh, yeah, I'm fine. My leg's just a little sore, but the fence never broke through my skin in most places." The words tumbled out of her mouth, and Kazu flushed, looking away; the reason she hadn't responded to Ikki question was because she'd been staring at Kazu's left leg. Kazu had rolled the bottom of his left pant leg up to stop the fabric from rubbing on the bandages, but because of that the already crimson-tinged white material was fully visible. The expression on Emiri's face…Kazu blushed again, remembering what Ikki had said earlier, about her liking him, and now it seemed painfully obvious.

Well _that_ made Kazu feel stupid.

Ikki nodded at Emiri's words, and looked over the whole team again. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Akito piped up in his little voice before Ikki could get a word out.

"Ikki-kun, where were you last night? I wanted to cuddle." Ikki looked annoyed, but not taken aback; he was too used to the smaller boy at this point.

"I stayed over at Kazu's," Ikki said, before his mouth was suddenly stretched into a jaw-cracking yawn. Kazu blinked at the irony; or at least, it was ironic for him. Not that anyone else knew that Ikki had practically spent the entire night awake in Kazu's bed…Kazu shook his head. _God, that sounds _so _gay._

"Oh." Akito seemed fine with the answer. "Well make sure you're home tonight, I get lonely…"

Ikki looked at him dully before exchanging a glance with Kazu, with a clear make-him-leave-me-_alone­_-look in his dark eyes. Kazu let out an exhale of amusement and Akito whipped his head around to glare at him.

"You don't need to be jealous, just 'cause I get to sleep with Ikki all the time."

Kazu was taken aback. "I didn't say I _wanted_ to sleep in the same bed as Ikki."

Akito just looked at him, the smaller boy's left eye smug. "You didn't say you _didn't_."

Kazu looked at Akito, opening his mouth to retort, when suddenly a pig-tailed head poked through the door. "Nakayama," Kazu said blatantly.

"Good job pointing out the obvious," Yayoi replied. "But Ton-chan wanted me to tell you guys, and Emiri, that there's a field trip this weekend, in two days."

"Why didn't she tell us herself?" Emiri asked.

Yayoi looked dully at the whole team. "She said she was scared," she said, glaring at Onigiri and Ikki inturn. "Here, get these signed, she needs them by tomorrow, all the classes in our grade are going."

Kazu swallowed. "Uh…I'm home alone for a little while." At this, Emiri stood up quickly, grabbed one of the forms from Yayoi, and scribbled something hastily onto it

"Here," she said, holding the paper out to Kazu, face bright red. Kazu took the pale yellow sheet from her hands and looked at it curiously; _Mikura Ayaka_ was scribbled on the parents or guardian spot. The blonde blinked.

"A-Adachi, that's almost exactly what her hand writing looks like." He looked back up at her, "thanks."

Emiri made a strange face, something between being embarrassed and blissfully happy, before she shook her head. "No problem."

Ikki cleared his throat, the Crow's dark brown eyes looking dull; tired and bored, most likely. "So're we all good?" Without waiting for a response, Ikki jumped back to his feet and stretched. "Good, 'cause I'm bushed. I'm going home guys, 'later."

Ikki was halfway out the door when he paused and skated back to Kazu, the others taking his spot and leaving. "You ready to go?" Ikki asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah." Kazu grinned. "Good thing you came back too, or I would have had to kick your ass."

"You can't kick anything like that Kazu, now move your ass, I'm tired." He tugged Kazu off the desk and pulled his arm around his shoulders for the second time that day. "And it's your fault too," he hissed quietly, voice harsh and teasing. "Stop getting your ass hurt."

--

Kazu fell back onto his bed with a sigh; they'd only been at the school for about an hour, but the time it took to get there and back was doubled by Kazu's leg, and it felt like it'd been forever since he'd been able to rest.

"Hey…Ikki?" Kazu murmured, blue eyes gazing at the ceiling.

"Mm?" Ikki was moving around the blonde's room, cleaning up all the dirty bandages and empty wrappers, and probably all the dishes that had been dirtied between the two of them; that was weird, Ikki must have realized living in that mess would be torture to Kazu, because God knew Ikki only very rarely cleaned up his own messes.

Kazu blinked up at a formation on his ceiling that looked oddly similar to Kuu. "…thanks. And sorry."

Ikki scoffed. "Yeah, yeah…" he mumbled before leaving Kazu's room, not looking at the Jet and quickly skating out the door once he'd reached the exit. Kazu watched him curiously as the Crow skated off, headed in the direction of the Noyamanos' house.

_Well that was weird…_Kazu sighed and stood up shakily, arm using the wall as support and putting all of his weight onto his right leg. _Of all the times to want something to eat…_

But as soon as Kazu finished his struggle of even _making_ it to the kitchen, he noticed something that made him forget what he even came down there for; a yellow sticky-note, one of his sister's, stuck to the refrigerator. But the handwriting wasn't familiar, it wasn't Ikki's; the characters were neat and tidy, in a fine red ink.

After taking another glance at it, Kazu swallowed, looked around the room and snatched the note off of the fridge before limping over to the door to pull on his AT's. He rolled out the door, biting his lip and trying to stay off of his left leg as much as he could with out falling; this however, proved to be very _hard._

Somehow though, after who _knew_ how long, he found himself panting with his entire body slumped against the Noyamano household. His head dropped onto the door with a _thud_ and just as he raised his hand in a fist to knock, the door opened, and Kazu tumbled inside with a loud curse. _God dammit, that was my _head_, not a knock._

"Kazu? What the hell're you doing over here?"

Kazu cringed as he rolled over onto his back, only to find himself blinking straight up at Ikki, who was looking at him with a strange mix of emotions; something involving amusement, probably at Kazu's expression, confusion at the blonde's sudden appearance at his house and on his floor, and that expression from earlier, that trace of pain.

"Uh…" Kazu gripped the piece of paper tighter in his hand. "I, well…can I stay over here tonight?"

Ikki blinked. "What? Why?"

Kazu just reached his hand up to give Ikki the tiny sticky-note. Ikki read it, read it _again_, then looked back at Kazu, eyes widened. "You don't know who this is from, do you?"

Kazu shook his head. "No clue."

Ikki rubbed the back of his neck and hesitated before saying somewhat firmly, "Yeah, stay here until the field trip."

--

_This is the house of the Kogarasumaru member Mikura "Kazu" Kazuma…_

_Correct?_

* * *

**A/N:** T-That's the note...if you didn't realize...AND I DON'T THINK YOU'RE ALL AS DULL AS MEEEE, I'M JUST TRYING TO HELP, PROMISE. -spaz-


	8. Newborn Wings

**A/N:**

...I'M SO SORRY. ;; This update took me FOREVER guys, I really really hope you can forgive me! -bows fifteen times- Summer swim schedule and a trip to Canada have been kicking my ass all summer, and I hope it'll improve after school starts up again.

A-also, this chapter is pretty much useless, not very juicy plot-wise, and there's only small hints of fluff. So...you guys just waited almost two months for a completly useless filler chapter. So so so sorry!

But to all of you, EotS has 3000 hits now! Thanks for all the watches and reviews, I reallt don't deserve it; you guys are kick-ass-tic. I'll probably be posting pictures I've drawn for this chapter soon, and if they're not on my Deviant Art I'm masi-no-ichigo there too then I'll post them up here next chapter, mmkay?

I love you all, really, and I hope my next chapter will make up for this one. I'll post a little more at the bottom, but still, lots love,

-Masi

* * *

Ikki groaned as the sun hit his face and he rolled over, only to find that there wasn't nearly as much bed left on his side as he had thought. The crow cursed as he hit the floor, body landing on the hard flat surface but also landing on top of something softer and lumpier. Ikki rolled over again to reveal a slightly flattened and very disgruntled Kazu glaring up at him.

"…'morning," Kazu grumbled, tugging his arm out from under the other boy. Ikki shrugged it off casually, however he inwardly heaved a huge sigh of relief; what if he had landed on the boy's leg?

"It's _your_ fault for sleeping there." Ikki ran his eyes over the blonde, checking his expression, body language, _everything_ for any trace of pain. Not finding anything worrisome, aside from the dark circles under the boy's eyes and the crumpled note still beside Kazu's pillow, Ikki sighed and stood up, glancing over at the clock. "If we're gonna be at school in time to turn in those slips, we should probably head out now."

Kazu nodded and placed a hand on Ikki's bed for support as he stood up shakily. The Crow sighed and tugged on the underside of Kazu's arm until he could pull it over his shoulders again – it felt routine already – and the blonde wobbled unsteadily from the shift in weight.

"You really are busted up bad, huh?" Ikki commented, eyebrows raised.

"…yeah, sorry," Kazu mumbled, eyes lowered to look scornfully at his left leg as if it was all its fault.

Ikki frowned; "Stop fucking apologizing, it's not _your_ fault."

"But it-," Kazu started, when the Crow cut him off.

"It's _not_ your fault Kazu," Ikki said forcefully, glaring into those startled blue eyes. "Seriously. If it's anyone's fault, it's _mine_...I should have gotten you out of there when we had time." Ikki's lip twitched downwards, frustrated with himself.

The blonde's eyes widened. "Ikki?"

"Don't argue," Ikki said firmly, scowling forward and tugging Kazu in a bee-line towards the door and to the stairs.

"I-Ikki, uh…" Kazu gulped and looked down the stairs. "Maybe I should go down myself; I'd probably end up falling and dragging you with me if we go like this," he pointed out, nodding at his left arm and Ikki's firm grip around his wrist.

Ikki looked at Kazu, the stairs, then back at Kazu, and sighed. "Here," Ikki said, bending over and grabbing the Jet around those skinny knees and straightening up with him flung over his broad shoulder.

"Wha-, I-Ikki? What the hell're you-??" Kazu yelped, shocked. Ikki simply laughed and padded down the stairs, feet falling heavily with the added weight. But the Crow's laughter died quickly when he eyed the boy's left leg; the bandages were still getting too bloody for his liking, which was probably the reason why the Jet had passed out for fourteen straight hours immediately after he had lay down on Ikki's floor. Speaking of which…

"Kazu, why didn't you sleep on the couch?" Ikki asked out of curiousity. "I'm sure it's a hell of a lot more comfortable than my floor," the Crow mentioned matter-of-factly. "You didn't even wait for me to get the cot out," In saying this, Ikki bent over again at the bottom of the stairs and set Kazu's feet back on the ground, supporting the blonde with a firm grip on the shoulders as he wobbled again.

Sky blue eyes blinked at the brunette, before Kazu looked away, face tinged pink. Ikki blinked; that was weird. He refocused on the topic at hand when the Jet spoke; "Well I didn't really…" Kazu gulped awkwardly. "…guess I was just being stupid."

Ikki raised his eyebrows and shook the blonde a little by the shoulders. "Hm?"

"Well…like, if they could find _my_ house, who says they can't find me _here_?" Kazu looked down at his feet, obviously embarrassed. There was no guessing who "_they_" were.

Ikki nudged Kazu with his elbow. "Naw, it's not stupid." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, toying with the kid. "Who says they _can't_?"

Kazu's head whipped up to stare wide-eyed at Ikki, blue depths filled with shock and worry. "W-what?"

Ikki froze, eyes stuck on the Jet's expression. _How did he not know I was joking?_ The Crow stared at that fear and worry and blinked. _Does he really trust me _that_ much? He's obviously scared, so of course he wanted to sleep with…_Ikki felt his face heat up with the implications of that sentence. No no, that just came out wrong.

"Chill, man, I was kidding. They're not going to find you, we'll figure this out," Ikki said, voice wavering a little even as he tried to sound reassuring.

"…thanks." Kazu's expression softened a little, but there was still a faint trace of fear in that light crystal blue. _Crystal blue…_Ikki blinked. _Since when were Kazu's eyes…_pretty_?_ Ikki shook his head and scowled at himself. _What the hell am I thinking?_ Tugging the Jet back to his side, Ikki shoved his feet roughly into his AT's and waited for Kazu to get his blue ones on. _Hm…more blue._ Ikki cursed inwardly.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Ikki yawned and stretched his arms over his head, eyes squeezed shut. "God, I'm bushed. I hate school."

Kazu snorted, "Yeah, because God knows you fall fast asleep five minutes after your return from your monthly school day. What's your current grade point average anyway, like, 1.0?"

"Yeah yeah, just shut up, yours isn't much better."

Kazu replied with a sharp jab at the Crow's side, only to get stuck in a swift head-lock shortly after.

"Ack-! Ikki, get off!" Kazu struggled against Ikki's strong grip and the Crow grinned and brought his knuckles to Kazu's head to knock off that white beanie for clear noogie access.

"Ow, ow, _ow_, Ikki, dammit, _stop_!" Kazu yelped, voice hoarse from the limited oxygen. Ikki laughed mercilessly, and the blonde whined in pain and struggled harder.

After a few more minutes, Ikki finally released the blonde and Kazu fell to his knees panting. "Ikki…" he groaned, voice cracking. "Dammit, I hate you," he coughed.

"No you don't," Ikki said cockily, grin becoming more pronounced when Kazu huffed but didn't disagree. Ikki had won, and Kazu was a _sore_ loser; which of course always made it _that_ much more amusing for the Crow. The taller boy held out his arm to help Kazu up, and he blinked, surprised – who _knows_ why – when Kazu placed his hand squarely in his. Ikki ignored that weird blinking light in the back of his spiked head and pulled the Jet to his feet.

Kazu looked to the right of the street and paused when he noticed his house. "Ikki, what day is it?"

The Crow blinked. "Uh…the fourteenth, why?"

Kazu's eyes widened a little, and he paused before replying; "It doesn't matter, but um, would you mind it if I ran into my house for a sec? I want to grab a different shirt."

Ikki's eyebrows raised again. "'Course not, it's your house. Do you need me to go too…?" The Crow trailed off, and looked skeptically at the Mikura household, eyes flickering back to Kazu's left leg. The blonde boy shook his head then seemed to realize that his hair was too free for his liking and plucked his hat off of the ground before slipping his hand absentmindedly out of Ikki's. The Crow jolted inwardly; he hadn't noticed that he'd still been holding the boy's hand.

As Kazu hurried off, Ikki sighed; the Jet's steps were still lopsided from the pain, and each step seemed to take a bit more out of the blonde. Why the _hell_ was that idiot so set on impressing everybody by trying so hard? It's not like the boy wasn't already the fastest rider in Kogarasumaru, or that he didn't already train shit loads more than anyone else. Kazu was _already_ impressive; you had to be blind not to notice that, except for that the kid was always fucking _hiding_ his abilities in the corner behind that sweatshirt and hat.

Ikki's train of thought screeched to a halt. Wasn't that contradictory? Always trying to improve and impress people, yet hiding all the amazing traits he already had. Or at least, that's how _Ikki_ saw it. _Or rather_…Ikki frowned at his realization, guilt tinging at his stomach. The idiot didn't hide it, Ikki knew that. Kazu just didn't show off nearly as much as the Crow, and consequentially wasn't noticed. But Ikki had always know the boy's speed, and never had taken his modesty into consideration; he'd never actually noticed it, probably due to the fact that Kazu wasn't _so_ shy around him, because the boy was actually fine with showing off around Ikki…

At the sound of a door slamming, Ikki looked over curiously toward Kazu's house, only to find the Jet already by his side, breathing heavily from the effort. The older boy started. "How did you, I mean, your leg…?" Ikki trailed off after taking another good look as the blonde; the Jet's eyes were filled with fear similar to yesterday's, and two objects were clutched firmly in his hands, pale shaking arms revealed by the sleeveless hoodie.

Kazu didn't reply, he simply held out his left arm, a yellow sticky-note grasped tightly between those pale thin fingers. _Yellow note…!_ Ikki's eyes widened, and he quickly tugged the paper out of the boy's hand, stretching out the folds until it was legible.

_You know, Mikura "Kazu" Kazuma, _

_The speed rider known as "Stealth"?_

_The one rumored to be _invisible_?_

Ikki raised his eyes to look back up at Kazu, opening his mouth to reassure him with words still unknown to himself, but he was quickly distracted when his eyes caught something strange. The Jet had his hands in his pocket, fingers nervously moving the other retrieved object from the house between them. This item was what perked the Crow's interest.

"Hey, Kazu, what's that?" Ikki asked curiously, eyes pointed at the bulging pocket.

Kazu blinked, shocked. Okay, so it _was_ completely random and off-topic, but dammit, Kazu should be used to that by now. Apparently, their current situation wasn't helping, with the threat notes and all. Ikki's mouth twitched when he realized that he had just grouped himself with Kazu; _their current situation_…well it was true though, that if Kazu was involved, so was Ikki.

Kazu looked at Ikki with a weird expression in his eyes, then moved the object behind his back. "I'll tell you later, but at your house..." He shuffled his feet nervously. "I don't really want to hang out here."

Ikki replied with a nod and offered to help Kazu on the way there again; the blonde's facial expression told Ikki that it was still painful to walk on that god damned leg of his. However, Kazu refused with a shake of his head. "I'll deal," he said, grinning.

Ikki raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Alright." _Suit yourself, but don't blame me if you collapse halfway._

* * *

Ikki fell back on the couch and Kazu mimicked the action, thin arms thrown over his head, eyelids closed lightly. Ikki watched his friend's movement for a moment with a bored gaze, dark eyes moving over the blonde's jaw-cracking yawn, mouth and lips stretched wide, pale stick-like arms stretched straight over his head, finger's curled lightly…Ikki shook his spiked-head. _Now I'm just being weird, and besides, I've got an objective here!_

The Crow stretched out an arm towards Kazu's pocket, movements slow and careful, fingers twitching slightly. When he was close enough, Ikki lunged forward, right arm shoved into Kazu's pocket, left arm snaking around his neck and knocking the boy over onto the floor while pulling him into a swift headlock. _Success! _Ikki thought triumphantly, fingers closing around the small box.

"Wha-! _Ikki_, dammit, learn the meaning of _patience_!" Ikki tugged the black box out of the flailing boy's pouch, grinning cockily, and Kazu finally stop struggling and sighed. "Fine, just open it," he mumbled, tugging Ikki's arm off of him.

Ikki blinked. "Huh?" After all that, he was just allowed to _open_ it? "Why all the shit to keep it from me then, Kazu?"

The Jet shrugged, eyes still showing a trace of annoyance at Ikki's methods for retrieval. "Well I'd already said it was for you, but I was going to explain it first," Kazu said in a matter-of-factly tone. Like the Crow was _supposed_ to guess that he'd get it later. Kazu looked at him dully. "That's why I said '_later_'."

"…Oh." Ikki stared blankly at Kazu for a moment before shrugging and investigating the box again; he tapped at it with his fingers, shook it close to his ear, held it up to a light to peer at it through one eye, measure it's weight with a flat pal-

"Just _open_ it all ready, dammit." Kazu scowled, and Ikki chuckled.

"I was getting there, Kazu, don't be so impatient." Kazu opened his mouth to protest at the hypocrisy of that statement before he stopped himself and settled into a small pout with a huff. Ikki grinned wider; "But I'm okay with opening it." The brunette crossed his legs on the floor – neither of them had bothered to sti back up on the couch – and dug his fingertips into the crease between the lid and the bottom and tugged. Paused. Tugged again.

"Fuck, Kazu, what did you do, glue it shut just to piss me off?"

Kazu scowled. "No, it's tape. I didn't want the-…the present to fall out," he said, correcting himself mid-sentence to protect the secret. He reached out to the package and tugged off two pieces of tape, one from each side, wrists bumping against Ikki's knuckles and hands. Ikki blinked curiously; Kazu's tiny and casual touch left a weird lingering feeling under the points on contact on the Crow's hands. _Must have been because his hands were cold…_Ikki decided.

Now that the present – _present_…Ikki had no notion as to _why_ he was getting on in the first place – was in clear reach, Ikki eagerly opened the box, eyes wide with curiosity. Inside the box was a bundle of folded black fabric, and Ikki turned to box over to empty the contents into his left hand. Setting down the box, Ikki tugged the bundle apart, revealing two black gloves, a pair nearly identical to his own. He looked up at Kazu, who was waiting expectantly, then looked back at the gloves.

Kazu shifted and sighed. "Turn them over, idiot." Ikki exhaled shortly through his nose at the insult before doing so, eyes widening at the embellishments on the palm. There were two white wings, sewn perfectly in the center, so detailed that each tiny feather looked real. Ikki marveled at the tiny shapes for a couple moments, fingers tracing the outlines of the tiny wings before he tugged the gloved onto his hands, fingers slipping easily into the finger holes before poking out on the other side, palms fitting perfectly.

Ikki's expression brightened at the perfect fit and he held his hands out towards Kazu, fingers splayed open. "How do they look?"

Kazu just grinned in response and Ikki took that to be good thing. Kazu wasn't so much one to be so forward in laughing at people.

"So Kazu…" Ikki started, back on topic. "What are these," he nodded towards his hands and the gloves, "all about?"

Kazu paused, unsure, before simply responding; "Happy birthday."

Ikki faltered. "W-what? Kazu, have you gone mad? I've never known the date of it."

The blonde scratched the back of his neck for a moment and looked to the side for a bit. "Well that's the point…I always get presents and shit for _my_ birthday, so I picked one for you."

Ikki blinked. "Why today though?" Knowing Kazu, there'd be some retarted and unclear explanation that Ikki would need repeated over again just to get it.

"Do you remember what happened, this day, a good few years back?"

The Crow shook his head, not even bothering to think for a few seconds.

Kazu sighed a soft "'course not," under his breath, then continued. "Well, when you were eight, today was the day when you freaked Rika out, made Ringo cry for about an hour, ended up getting helicopters off the ground, and pissing people off for presumably being the first pre-puberty suicide victim."

Ikki's eyes widened. "You don't mean…the time I climbed Tokyo Tower?! How the hell did you remember when that was?"

"Uh…well Onigiri grabbed Rika's diary when she was away," Kazu mumbled. "Said he was looking for her "past _experiences_."" Ikki opened his mouth to protest in disgust but held his tongue when Kazu continued. "He was flipping through it when that date caught my eye, so I grabbed it from him." The blonde's cheeks flushed. "So if he tells you anything…that's why." Ikki chuckled in response.

"Yeah, yeah. But…I still don't get why you picked _today_ for a birthday."

"_Because it was the first time you flew_."

Kazu smiled again, but his expression was much softer, nearly nostalgic, and Ikki knew that if he had seen his reflection, he would probably have seen the same expression splayed across his face, if not accompanied by a bigger smile. The Crow clenched his hands into fists then opened them again to marvel at the still perfect tiny wings.

He looked back up at Kazu and met his eyes for the umpteenth time that day, darker brown eyes locking onto the blue jewels that belonged the boy named "Stealth".

Ikki's fingers closed around the small yellow note when he stuffed his hands into his pockets with his short yet obviously happy mumble of "thanks".

The boy named "Stealth" who was being _hunted_.

* * *

**A/N: **Buhaaah...I dun like this chapter. -stating the obvious-

Anywho though, I feel like I may have to explain the gloves a little bit more though, and not make Kazu explain my retarted thoughts. But this may be a spoiler, so...if you haven't gotten past the hospitilization due to knee injuries, or maybe the Ikki and Ringo "run" thing in the manga, you might not want to read this next thing;

--

The wings on the gloves are for Ikki's little skill; the one in the manga taught to him by Sora ALKhljhga, I hate Sora SO MUCH. where he manages the pressure of the air beneath his hands and sends essentially a burst of air with his palms. I think. I haven't read that part in a REAaaaaally long time. Don't harrass me if I'm wrong, please.

But for those who are updated in the manga, this picture from ch. 214 is a good example : /AirGear/214/14/

I hope that link shows up, otherwise it's Air Gear chapter 214, page 14.

SPEAKING OF 214, KAZU KICKING ASS LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW WHUT.

-Masi, out.


	9. Realizations

**A/N: **BUWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

F-finally. I haven't updated in forever, I'm so so so so so sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. The only thing I can promise about this chapter is that it's the longest yet, but...

I-I feel like my writing's not as smooth in this chapter, input please??

SO Ummmmmmm...this chapter is dedicated to my lovely and dear nee-chan, and that MEANS something because baaaaaah I worked so hard on finishing this chapter. I love love love love you to death.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, I'm going to try to update this again on x-mas, as an apology offering to all of you and a present, so if that interests you guys, review and **let me know you're reading it, pleaaaaaase?** I love you all of you guys though, promise.

Maybe if I get obsessed with Air Gear again it'll help...time to break out the skates.

Much love - Masi

* * *

"Oi, Kazu."

Kazu moaned quietly and rolled over, tugging the blanket further over his skinny frame.

"_Kazu_!"

"Nng, _what_? I'm sleeping, dammit." Kazu scowled, keeping his eyes shut and burrowing deeper into his makeshift bed – cocoon, rather – on Ikki's floor.

"That's the problem, we need to get our asses to school, the train leaves in two hours, and we have to hitch a ride there with Ton-chan first!" Ikki's voice stopped for a moment. "And really, if you replied, you're awake."

Kazu ignored that last comment and sat up bolt straight. "Two_ hours_? Why the hell didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"…I _tried_."

* * *

The sound of the heavy sheets of rain on the roof of Ton-chan's car was unnerving; the tiny and packed car seemed like it was about to slip off the road, and Kazu shivered, even though he was definitely _not_ cold. How the hell _could_ he be, while he, Ikki, Onigiri, Ringo, Emiri, Yayoi, and Akito were all packed in the car together? A car built for only _four_ other passengers? However…it did seem a bit roomier than usual.

"Hey, where's Buccha?"

Ikki looked up at him – he had been squeezed into the space between the front seat and Kazu's knees – "He had to stay behind, said something about visiting his father's temple."

Kazu – squashed in between the door and a sleeping Akito – nodded and dropped his head back onto the window, white beanie padding his head from the hard impact of the glass and his skull, brow furrowing as he tried to think. Who the _hell_ could possibly be the ones leaving those god damned notes. Either it was someone's sick idea of a joke, a new team with a thing against speed riders, or an old team with a grudge for blondes.

Well….the fact that _Ikki_ seemed affected by the notes pretty much knocked the first option out of the running; the Crow was probably the one person who was stupid enough to think about a joke like that, and the only one stupid enough to pull it right after the scramble they had had with Chibatsu just a few days before.

_Chibatsu_…for some reason, the name of the group of storm riders still made a little light blink in the back of his head, but that's not what he was thinking about anyway.

Okay, second option…even though it seemed the most likely, Kazu still had the third possibility jammed hard into his head, because of the handwriting of the notes' author; even though he couldn't put a name to it, he felt like he'd seen it before. And besides, the internet usually had rumors of up and coming teams and their locations before they actually targeted anyone or set up any challenges.

_Internet…_Kazu shifted slightly at the surplus of information about Storm Rider teams on the internet; sure, it came in handy when they were preparing for a battle, but the idea of forums about their team made him squirm and try to ignore that little red light in his head again.

So. Third option. It was the only thing left, but…most of the teams Kazu could think of that could possibly still be holding a grudge had either left the area or disbanded after a run in with Kogarasumaru. Kazu allowed a small smirk to appear on the corners of his mouth; it felt almost like the old days with the East Side Gunz, led by the fearless Minami "Babyface" Itsuki. But only now he was the boy known for being favored by Simca and with a prime place in the running for Sky King.

For the third time, that little fucking light, trying to get his attention from way back in his mind…Kazu shook his head sharply before he froze. He sucked in a quick breath and stuffed his hands into his pockets, hands scrambling to find the first little yellow sticky-note that he had received. Ikki, who had been dozing with his head quite comfortably plopped on the blonde's knees, was also jerked suddenly and let out a small yelp of surprise at the sudden movement.

"Ugh, Kazu, what the hell're you doing?" the Crow drawled.

"Ikki, do you still have the note from the other day??"

The darker haired boy paused for a moment, confused, but he tugged the matching sticky note out of his pocket with an awkward shift of his body; he obviously was somewhat embarrassed that he carried the thing around with him, but his expression lightened when he realized that Kazu had the other one.

Kazu grabbed for it hastily and un-crumpled the small yellow pieces of paper, holding both notes up side by side less than a foot from his face.

"_Sky King, beware…_"

Kazu's eyes widened. "No…" he mumbled, voice low, thickened with the realization. It wasn't just déjà vu, he'd seen that handwriting before.

"Oi, Kazu, what's wrong?" Ikki asked, neck stretching to look upside-down at Kazu, dark brown eyes peering up at him, searching his own. Kazu looked back at him and felt his hands shaking for a split second before Ikki took hold of his wrists and pulled his hands down with a warm grasp until the two notes were right in front of Ikki's redirected stare. He looked over them again and again, searching for the thing that the Jet had been able to see, something he must have missed.

Kazu swallowed and decided to save Ikki some of the effort. "I…I've seen this handwriting before," he murmured, fingers still holding the notes with a firm grasp.

"Kazu-sama?" Emiri piped up for the first time from the front seat that she and Yayoi were sharing. "What handwriting?"

Ikki ignored the girl's interruption and looked quickly back up at Kazu, eyes locking gazes. "What? Where?"

Kazu paused, not for dramatic effect, but to keep his voice as steady as possible as he uttered a singe word.

"Chibatsu."

* * *

Ikki froze. He tugged the thin wrists closer to his eye level to stare at the notes again, and after a few moments he released Kazu's wrists, but said nothing. Kazu ran his eyes over his wrists – they felt cold when exposed to air again – before his eyes scanned over the rest of the car. He caught Emiri's worried gaze though and paused.

She gave him a sad look that showed she was desperate for answers, her thin eyebrows tugged towards the centerline in her face, mouth's corners turned down at the edges, and Kazu felt a pang of guilt as he gently shook his head a fraction of a centimeter. "_This isn't your problem,_" he mouthed silently.

The girl's eyes widened and her expression fell a little. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before she nodded at Ikki. "_And him?_"

Kazu bit his lip for a moment before he shrugged. "_Didn't mean to._" Well, it wasn't a _complete_ lie; the Jet _did_ wish that Ikki was out of it, now that he knew who was behind the letters.

Emiri let out a small sigh and looked back up front out the window, and Kazu shifted nervously. The girl had let it drop, but…she was obviously only doing it for more Kazu-points. And it's not like he _meant_ to shove Emiri out of the loop and all, but he felt like it was just a thing between him and the Crow. After all, _Ikki_ was the one who'd seen all the notes; well, Kazu could have shown Emiri if he'd wanted…But Ikki had chosen to involve himself…_but that's only because I showed him the notes…_Kazu rubbed his forehead and tried to get himself to stop thinking up excuses; Kazu _knew_ Emiri would have done the same if she'd been in the Crow's position, but he just felt like it was different for Ikki.

And besides…if it _was_ Hatsuko and her cronies, there's no doubt that both Ikki and Kazu were both targeted by the team. _Well there's a common trait to covet_, Kazu thought sarcastically.

"You're right…" Ikki murmured softly, and Kazu flinched; Ikki saying that he was wrong, that he was just being stupid, that was the last chance. The only person who could have possibly convinced him otherwise just agreed. "But Kazu, how did you think of _them_? Now that I think about it, yeah, but…they've never even met you, let alone _seen_ you, how could they…?"

"Think about it…" Kazu mumbled. _Now it all makes sense and _fuck_ they're coming back._ "One, they probably went back to that empty lot that they blew the shit out of and realized that none of our team was there and that you guys obviously got out alive…" Kazu blinked away the vision of Ikki lying dead and unmoving. "Two…they had probably found us on the Parts War database or something, and those sites have the whole team. Including me."

"So you think that they realized you had let us go?" Ikki obviously didn't like the idea that Chibatsu had unraveled his amazing plot so quickly, but Kazu still found himself giving the question a short nod in response.

"I don't think they assumed I was home and sick in bed, at least."

Ikki grumbled softly. "_Fuck_, I hate that woman," he said shortly, head dropping backwards onto Kazu's knees again and staring at the ceiling of the tiny car, eyebrows furrowing together as he pondered the new revelation.

Kazu froze at a sudden change of sound in the car, a pause low rumbling that Kazu had assumed to be the motor of the car. The small problem was that they were still moving. The Jet looked around, confused, until he noticed Onigiri with an obvious "I-just-woke-up" expression on his face. Kazu snorted with amusement and Ikki started.

"Um…?" The Crow's eyes were lost to his hairline, probably questioning Kazu's sanity. The blonde simply shrugged.

"Onigiri's got a loud ass snore."

Ikki stared at him for a moment then sighed and dropped his head back onto his makeshift pillow. "Moron."

* * *

As the class piled off the train, Ton-chan stumbled off last, pulling her skirt down and blushing something fierce. Running over to the front of the group, the teacher began listing off names for rooms as the students all split back into groups after the long period smashed together on the train. After a long stream of meaningless names, the first one that caught Kazu's attention was Ikki's.

"M-Minami Itsuki-kun, you'll be rooming with Waniji-," Ton-chan stuttered to a halt halfway through her sentence, and it was apparent why; Ikki had his eyes on the teacher and he was glowering with a very clear "don't-say-it" expression on his face. Obviously, Ikki wasn't exactly fond of the idea of sharing a room with Akito, seeing as he had to deal with the shark's counter-part on a daily basis. "U-um, you'll be rooming with Mikura Kazuma-kun."

Ikki's expression lightened immediately and he looked away again, going back into his conversation with Ringo. As Ton-chan rattled off the rest of the names and room assignments, Kazu scanned the group of kids, not really in the mood to chatter like the rest of them. There was Kitsune, arm in his elbow as he coughed so loudly he sounded like he was losing a lung, to the right, Emiri and Yayoi immersed deeply in a conversation with Emiri alternating hysterical giggles and deep blushes. Next to the two girls were Ikki and Ringo, Ringo listening to Ikki blather on about something AT-related, a faint smile on her lips, while the Crow was obviously in a completely different place, hands out in the air in front of him, fingers splayed out, mouth moving quickly with whatever he was saying. Onigiri and Buccha were conversing behind the two of them, heads low, before suddenly Buccha let out a loud laugh and looked up, only to make eye contact with the blonde. Kazu started and looked away quickly, not wanting to be caught watching everybody.

Ikki, still talking to Ringo, now had his arms back at his sides, but the conversation was clearly still one-sided, the Crow's animated speech still non-stop as he rambled on about this and that. Kazu's eyes dragged lazily through the crowd, however he always found himself with his eyes back on Ikki not long after he looked away. The way Ikki's eyes lit up when he mentioned one thing, the way his mouth still managed to smile even as he was talking about another thing, the way his fingers always managed to find their way to the opposite hand's palms, even if for a split second, to brush lightly against the tiny wings on his gloves.

Ringo must have felt Kazu watching the two storm riders, because she turned curiously in the Jet's direction. Upon eye contact, the girl offered up a smile, eyes happily squeezing shut with the motion. Ikki followed her line of sight, mouth still moving a mile a minute, and he caught the blonde's eye as well and grinned. Taking a step and reaching out, he took hold of Kazu's wrist for the second time that day and tugged him closer.

"Here, Kazu, so if the gears go like this," he said quickly, free hand spinning as an example, "then consequentially the others would speed up if that one was made faster, right?"

Kazu blinked and nodded. "Sure." Ringo brought her hand to her mouth to cover her smile as she giggled; it was obvious that Kazu had _no_ idea what Ikki was talking about. Just as Ikki opened his mouth to continue, the entire crowd began to move.

Ringo followed the group of huddled kids out of the station and into the still pouring rain. "Ikki, come on, we're headed to the hotel."

The Crow blinked. "Oh. Must have missed that…C'mon Kazu." He tugged the confused Jet along with the crowd with his hand still gripping the other's wrist.

"Um…Ikki?"

"Yeah?" Warm brown eyes peered back at Kazu, however Ikki didn't stop moving.

"Can I have my wrist back?"

"…oh." Ikki dropped Kazu's arm and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I forgot," he said, "but…should I still help you out?" His voice dropped as his eyes darted down to the blonde's leg. "We don't want to get behind."

Kazu sighed. "Fine…for now. But I need to get back on it more though." He stretched his left arm out and Ikki ducked quickly under it, grabbing Kazu's wrist again with his far hand and pulling it over his broad shoulders, other arm wrapping around Kazu's thin waist. The blonde looked down at the hand on his hip and stared, wondering why the fact that it was there didn't bother him more.

* * *

"Room 59, Ikki, that's us," Kazu said finally. The other class members had been dropping of one by one as they passed the doors, and eventually Ikki, Kazu, Ringo, and Emiri found themselves at the last two rooms in the hall. The Crow let go of Kazu and the blonde wobbled, unstable at the shift in weight. As Ikki searched for the key, Kazu turned around and noticed something strange for the first time.

"Where's Nakayama?" Kazu asked, noting how strange it was to see Emiri without her best friend. The girl looked somewhat uncomfortable, staring around at anything in the long hall except for Kazu; Frankly, the Jet was amazed that it took him all the way until when Ikki _told_ him that Emiri was crushing on him to notice.

"She's rooming with someone else," Ringo explained.

Emiri nodded quickly. "We asked for Ton-chan to let her stay with us, but there aren't any three person rooms."

"Oh," Kazu said. After an awkward pause, the small _click_ of the lock being opened came as a rescue and Ikki opened the door. Ikki walked halfway in first, lifted his left hand in a casual wave to the girls, and Kazu mimicked him and followed, offering up a short "later," as well.

* * *

As Kazu tugged the door shut, Ikki walked to the center of the room and put his hands on his hips, surveying his surroundings. Kazu limped over to the bed and flopped down on his stomach, eyes lazily trailing around the room until they rested on Ikki.

"Hey," Ikki said, annoyed. "They only gave us a one bed room."

Kazu laughed. "No wonder she had you roomed with Akito, she assumed you two could share the bed." Before Ikki could lunge at him for the comment, Kazu rolled to the side and, still chuckling, took one step off the bed before spinning on the ball of his foot and landing on his stomach on the couch. "I'll sleep here, then."

Ikki grinned. "Sweet," he crowed, toppling onto the bed and landing spread-eagle on the small mattress. After a short pause, he lifted his head up to cast Kazu an odd look. "Why'd you give it up so easily though?"

"Because the _great_ Ikki-sama deserves it _much_ more than me," he replied, voice full of sarcastic praise.

"Ah, of course, how obvious," Ikki said, chest puffing out as he sat up and played along. "Seriously though, why?"

Kazu paused for a moment, irked. It was unlike Ikki to mull over something like that, normally he would just take the better half without a second thought. The blonde shrugged; "I just don't really care about it, so you can have it." _And I just want you to have it…_

Ikki blinked and let his torso drop back down onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Kazu on his front side, Ikki on his back, the two stormriders just lay there in silence. Kazu felt surprisingly calm, taking comfort in the silence. The only complaint he could think of was maybe that he was a little cold, but that couldn't be helped. _Except…_Kazu shook his head shortly at the image from just a few nights ago wormed its way into his head. _No no, that was a one time thing, I'm being ridiculous…_

There was no way in _hell_ that Kazu was going to go over to the bad and lay on Ikki's stomach. _Hell, I didn't even ask for him to do that last time…_

After about five minute of silence from Ikki, Kazu opened his mouth to say something that he had yet to even come _up_ with when he sudden lurched forward with a startlingly loud sneeze. The Jet slid forward and hit his head on the fortunately padded arm rest in front of him and the spaced-out Crow nearly jumped a foot.

"…What was _that_?"

Kazu sent a dull stare in the Crow's direction. "I _sneezed_…"

"I know _that_," Ikki mumbled, slightly put off by the blonde's tone. "I mean, why? You're not sick are you?"

"I don't…think…aw shit," Kazu groaned, muttering another curse under his breath.

"What?" Ikki sat up higher, propping himself up on one arm as Kazu sneezed another two times.

"I sat next to Kitsune on the train," Kazu muttered, voice dull. "And he was attempting to hack hairballs at me nearly the entire time. He's had that cold for a good two weeks too."

The Crow frowned. "Oh. Are you sure you're not just allergic to stupid hotel rooms?"

"…_yes._" Kazu replied with a somewhat sour tone; he wasn't in the mood for jokes at the moment, he _hated_ getting sick. "And besides, allergies don't cause fevers."

"You can't know that you have one," Ikki said, confused.

"I can usually tell," Kazu mumbled, "because only my face feels all warm whenever I do, but I'm cold everywhere else."

Ikki frowned and shuffled down to the end of the bed, socked feet tapping lightly as he landed on the carpet. The Jet looked up at him curiously, watching the Crow pad over to him. _What's he…?_ Ikki dropped into his knees right in front of him, and before Kazu even had a second to decide what the _hell_ he thought Ikki was doing, the other boy had brought a cool hand to his face, moved his hat and the soft blonde hair out of the way, and pressed his warm – but not warm enough... – lips to the center of Kazu's forehead.

Kazu stared blankly into Ikki's neck for a moment while Ikki stayed there, until the older boy pulled his head back and sat down on the floor. "…you're burning up," he muttered.

"U-um…" Kazu felt his face get slightly warmer, if possible. "What was that?"

Ikki blinked for a moment before he nervously raised his hand to scratch awkwardly at the back of his neck. "It's the most accurate way to tell that I know…Hell, sorry, but I grew up with a bunch of girls, and that's what Rika-nee always did…"

Kazu shook his head. "Yeah yeah, of course." He turned away quickly and sneezed into the couch again, and emerged rubbing his nose and sniffling. "I'm going to go blow my nose," he mumble, voice slightly off-tone.

Ikki simply watched him as he rolled off of the couch, the Jet's feet barely lifting off the carpet. When he opened the door, the first thing that caught his eyes was a small box of tissues, and he gratefully reached for the box, only to freeze as he noticed something in his peripheral vision. Withdrawing his hand and turning slowly to his left, what his eyes fell upon caused him to fall to his knees onto the linoleum floor with a loud _thud_.

"Kazu?!" There was the sound of quick foot steps as Ikki ran over to the small room, and when he got there the Crow bent down to check what was wrong. Kazu shook his head however as soon as the older boy bent down. _Not me…_He lifted a shaky finger and pointed up.

"The mirror."

Kazu watched as Ikki stood up and looked up at the mirror, watched as Ikki jolted slightly, watched as Ikki read the note that was stuck onto the glass.

The yellow stick note with red ink, pressed onto the glass.

* * *

_Nowhere to run,_

_Nowhere to hide._

_Every door you open,_

_We'll be on the other side._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Are you tired of my cliffhangers yet?

I love you guys. So much~!


	10. Gravity

**A/N:**Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllll...it's a really long chapter. REALLY REALLY LONG. Actually, just longer than my others, about 1000 more than the last chapter.

SO! Merry Christmas to everybody~~~~~! I hope that at least some people will see it tonight, but I took too long...

But it's not midnight yet...! I still have a couple hours.

This is for my loveeeees, every one of you. But this chapter is definitely dedicated to the same person as the last one~ My lovely lovely

**Rae-nee:**, who I didn't update this in time for. ;____; Woooops...let me get/write you a present next time insteadddd.

But I love you dearly dearly. This is for you~ **Merry Chrismasssssss!~**

On a side note though, I would also love to do my first review reply to the lovely **Mirelle:**Thank you so much for your review, and I'm still so so sorry that it took so long. I'm so glad that my update made your day better, if so, and I hope your finals went well! (Also, I totally stalk Folly and Sin as well) I-I'm still so stunned at the lovely things you've said, thank you again! And also I totally have both my DA and my TegakiE usernames exactly the same as here, so no you're not dreaming, love.

**Ranchan-akari and Cellophane Rainbows and XxXpassionatemuseXxX:** Thank you very much as well; I'm sorry that I'm so addicted to cliff hangers.

Ja, mata! I'll try to update as soon as possible, I promise. Until then, here's your storyyyy.

-Masi

* * *

"I thought we'd be _safe_…" Kazu was sitting in the same place on the bathroom floor, voice and hands quivering. "Ikki, what do we do?"

Ikki didn't reply, but his eyes locked on the note, still reading it over and over. _Can't run…can't hide…_The Crow's mouth twitched, corners turning down. He had no idea…what to do, what to think…He _hated_ it.

"Fuck," Ikki cursed softly, fingers clenching into a tight fist. He tore his eyes from that god damned note and after a moment he focused his eyes again, on Kazu this time, the blonde's position on the floor radiating fear. Knees bent and his upper legs pressed up to his chest, Kazu had wrapped his arms around his legs and had his lower face pressed into the crevasse of his legs, wide eyes still showing. "Hey, Kazu, let's get out of the bathroom," Ikki mumbled softly, hand reaching out to help the blonde up. Kazu looked up at him and untangled his own arms, smaller hand perfectly fitting into the Crow's. However…Ikki frowned. Kazu's skin was too warm for his liking. His touch was always a little warmer, but…this was way, _way_ too warm. He needed something to get rid of that fever.

"…Kazu, you wait here." Ikki moved towards the door and picked up his AT's. "I'm going out to go and get you some nighttime cold meds." He moved towards the window; _just in case…I can't get caught on the way out_. "Lock the window and shut the blinds after I leave, okay?"

Kazu looked up at him, eyes still wide with what looked like shock, fear, worry, _everything_ that Ikki didn't want to see. The Crow received a short nod in response and returned it, as more of a conformation than a reply.

"I'll come back through the front with the key," Ikki said, "so don't expect me to knock or come back through the window."

"Yeah…" Kazu mumbled, walking over to stand next to Ikki by the window. "'ll see you later."

Ikki nodded one last time before dropping out the window, allowing his wheels to trail down the wall for a few meters before he kicked off and spun into a quick landing. As he braked and came to a halt, he looked back up at the window just in time to see Kazu staring after Ikki before moving his hands up to fiddle with the window's rim and tug down the curtains. At that, Ikki sped off as quickly as possible.

* * *

"…Fuck."

As _ironic_ as it seemed, even while surrounded by enemies, threats, issues, and problems, Ikki found himself worrying over this?

Yet _still_, Higachu's best, "Babyface" Minami Itsuki, found himself pissed off over a cough syrup brand.

For a small drugstore in the outskirts of town, a small selection could be expected, but…they could have at least gotten more than _one kind_. They were a _drug store_ for god's sake. The only type of p.m. cold medicine that they _did_ have was the type that Kazu positively _loathed_, Ikki was sure of it; throughout their entire childhood, whenever both boys got sick, Ikki had always _loved_ the stuff, while Kazu always moaned and whined over it.

…too bad _Ikki_ wasn't sick. The Crow sighed and looked around, contemplating. He felt bad getting Kazu the kind that the kid couldn't _stand_, but he _really_ didn't have time to go and look for another drug store. Ikki grumbled and walked over to the counter to purchase the small red bottle in resignation.

_Red…_Ikki found himself frowning at the deep crimson color as he paid for the medicine and grabbed the bottle, kicking off the brakes on his AT's as he thanked the old man behind the counter and rushed off.

For some reason, he found that the color red _pissed_ _him off_.

For some reason, it made him want to hurry back.

For some reason, he felt like something was wrong.

* * *

"Kazu?" Ikki peered around the door, wide brown eyes trying to put the dark room into focus. When he received no reply, he slipped inside, nudging his AT's off with his toes. Moving them out of the doorway, Ikki's eyes trailed across the room, searching out the other boy.

"Kaz-…?" Ikki stopped short as his eyes finally rested upon Kazu, who was sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep. The Crow padded over, socks lightly muffling his feet until he noticed something else as his eyes became more accustomed to the darkness.

A yellow note. Stuck _right_ on Kazu's forehead, white beanie removed and lain on his back, directly over his heart. Ikki rushed over and snatched the note, striding quickly into the bathroom for the light that had been left on.

--

_One little piggy left home_

_But _this_ little piggy's not safe alone._

_So Itsuki-kun, you've figured us out?_

…_not that it'll help._

--

_Won't help_…Ikki jolted and rushed over to Kazu, horrified by the first thought that his mind went to. _They didn't…!_ His hands moved shakily, mind rattling, as he knocked aside the pale hat and rest them gently on the blonde's back, feeling for his heart beat, the rise and fall of his breath, any and all movement, but even the relief of the boy's steady breath and heart weren't enough.

"…Kazu," Ikki said quietly, nudging the blonde on the side, hands moving off of his back and away from the wounds to press and nudge at his side. "Hey, Kazu."

"Mn…" Kazu moaned softly, eyelashes twitching with consciousness. "Ikki…nn, sorry, fell asleep…"

"It's fine," Ikki said shortly, trying to mask the relief in his voice. "Just…here." The Crow sat down on his ankles and reached for the small medicine bottle. There was a small snap of the plastic seal breaking as he unscrewed the top, pouring out a full does into the small measuring cup.

Holding it up to Kazu, he frowned when the blonde made a face in response. "Don't give me that, I know you hate it but it's all they had, and therefore all we've got."

Kazu grinned and let out a small chuckle. "Yeah yeah, fine." He gently took the little plastic cup, warm fingers brushing against Ikki's, and propped himself up to down the cherry flavored syrup in one mouthful. "Ugh…" Kazu's nose wrinkled. "I still hate thi-," he sneezed, "stuff," another sneeze.

Ikki let out a short bark of a laugh. "And it still makes you sneeze? I thought that was just a stupid excuse to try and make your sister stop buying it!"

"Nope, I always sneeze…" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. "No idea why…"

"Hm, too bad I'm not sick," Ikki laughed, "because somehow I love that stuff."

"'s weird…" the blonde muttered, voice getting duller. Ikki's eyebrows bunched together in a frown at the tone of his voice.

"Hey, Kazu," Ikki said suddenly. Kazu looked up in response. "Go to sleep," ordered the Crow.

"Mn…" Kazu looked as though he was about to retort, but he realized he was tired. "…kay." He dropped his head back onto the couch, blonde locks falling everywhere without the hat keeping them in place, face out to the side and buried into the elbow of his raised arm. "Thanks for the cold meds…"

Ikki hummed softly in acknowledgement, mind buzzing as he let Kazu fall asleep without another word. As he watched the blonde's breathing slow, Ikki himself took out the most recent note, already wrinkle from his tight grip and being stuffed in his pocket.

_Well I'm not telling Kazu…_he thought, but that much was obvious; the note was addressed to him, and he sure as hell wasn't going to shove the threat onto Kazu as well. The kid's stress that had piled up was way too much already, hell, it was probably _because_ of all the shit going on that Kazu got sick. Also…since the note was directed at Ikki, did that mean that _he_ was still their target? Sure, that fact that they weren't after Kazu made him sigh in relief, but damn, he didn't really want them after _him_ again either. But…if they had thought that he'd kept Kazu out of the fight not for a back-up, but as a weakness…would they see the now sick, worried, and fucking _injured_ Jet as leverage?

Ikki cursed loudly, only to repeat it in an undertone when Kazu shifted at the sound. Ikki held his breath for a moment, frowning when he noticed how troubled the boy looked. _Probably just noticed his hat was missing…_ As he let his breath out with a soft _hiss_, the Crow scooted forward from his position on the floor and leaned in, moving Kazu's arm from his face for access to the smaller boy's forehead for the second time that night. He gently pressed his lips to Kazu's forehead – it was just to check his temperature, or course – and paused, feeling for any difference in the heat between him and the other stormrider. He sighed lightly when he found that the medicine, though hated, had done its job and lowered the fever. Ikki lingered for a moment before he sat back down on his heels and pressed his lips together.

_Didn't I…?_ Ikki found himself remembering that feeling from before…but it was foggy. And it was definitely not from just earlier that night. _When I took Kazu home and he was shivering…_Ikki blinked. Sure he'd been dazed, but how had he forgotten _that_? _And 'the hell was I think-?_ Ikki's train of thought was cut off when he heard movement from the couch in front of him.

"Ik-…" Kazu had hidden his face in his elbow again and was mumbling softly into the thick white fabric of his sweatshirt. Ikki grinned despite the situation and moved back to lean against the room's single bed and watch his favorite form of sleep-over entertainment; trying to decipher Kazu's dreams based on what he blurted out while asleep.

However, considering their current predicament…the words he vocalized could potentially be less embarrassing than usual. As Ikki sat and listened, Kazu mumbled an occasional "Ikki" or let out a soft grumble or groan. But aside from the fact that his name was the most common word – actually, the _only_ word – that he could pick out, not much of it was interesting otherwise.

Except, of course, when he picked out the word "kiss".

_That_ perked his interest.

The small problem, however, was that he had no idea about the context of the word. For all he knew, he could have meant anybody.

But the fact that it was surrounded by "Ikki"s sure brought up some interesting options.

* * *

"Kazu."

"Nn…what?" The blonde groggily opened his eyes.

"Wake up, your phone." Ikki held out the blonde's ringing cell phone and Kazu held it up to his ear immediately, thumb pressing the green call button as he took it.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Kazu, where are you? We've been trying the house for ages!" Ikki leaned over and stuck his ear close to the receiver of the phone, picking up on the faint tone of Kazu's mother's voice.

"Oh, um…" Kazu blinked hard, still trying to wake himself up. Ikki caught his attention and pointed to himself, then made a roof over his spiky head with his arms and mouth "my house" at the blonde.

"I'm over at Ikki's." Kazu held the phone out and pressed the speaker phone button; Ikki was obviously listening anyway. "So how're things over there? How are you and dad?"

Kazu's mother sighed. "We're doing better, thanks. But I was actually calling to ask you the same thing. Should we send Ayaka home?"

"What? Why?" Ikki raised his eyes at the slightly frantic undertone in the Jet's voice. _Well _that_ woke him up…oh. If she came home, and Chibatsu found out…_If the team was willing to use Kazu as leverage, why couldn't they use the boy's sister? Ikki shivered.

"Well we thought that you might be running low on food or money, or that you might be getting lonely."

Kazu bit his lip and replied quickly. "No no, I'm fine, really. She should stay and help you two as long as she wants, and as long as you need."

"Are you sure?" Kazu looked over at Ikki and met his eyes, the azure depths stricken with worry. Kazu swallowed.

"Yeah, of course. And Rika-san can help me if there's an emergency, the Noyamano's have been keeping me company."

The Jet's mother sighed. "Well if you're sure…" Ikki and Kazu let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. "Ayaka's been such an amazing help, it would be great to keep her for a while longer."

"Yeah."

"Okay well we'll talk to you soon, but we have to get going. Love you, dear."

"Yeah, love you too. Feel better, okay?"

"Thanks, dear." There was the firm click of the line disconnecting and Kazu heaved a sigh of relief.

"You were worried still, huh." It wasn't meant as a question.

"Yeah…" Kazu replied softly, propping himself up so that he could sit properly. He blinked. "How long was I out?" he asked, eying the light coming through the blinds.

"About 16 hours." Ikki grinned.

"What??" Kazu's eyes widened. "Why didn't you wake me up? Don't we have a class trip? And why aren't yo-,"

"Kazu, hold it. I was getting there," Ikki said, cutting Kazu off.

"Oh." Kazu flushed and shut his mouth.

"So," Ikki began, "I told Ton-chan you were sick, so she assumed I was infected as well." He shrugged. "So I didn't bother to wake you up, especially if you're sick." _And I'm sure as hell not leaving you here alone._

Kazu made a face. "I have to spend all day alone with _you_?"

"You little…!" Ikki growled and tackled the laughing blonde.

"Ack, Ikki!" Kazu snorted and flailed in response, launching a fist at the back of the Crow's spiked head. "I was joking, joking!"

Ikki's head was thrust forward from the impact, and he proceeded to headbutt Kazu's chest as the Jet aimed a swift lick at Ikki's legs, knocking the Crow to the side. "Kaz-!" as the brunette's legs lost their support, Ikki fell, and his tight grip taking Kazu down with him.

"Ow, ow…" both boys hissed simultaneously as the smaller boy landed right on top of Ikki's chest, back to front, wounds to wounds.

"Shit…" Ikki grabbed Kazu's shoulders and rolled the skinny Jet off of him. Kazu looked dazed.

"…I don't really know what happened, but I'm blaming you."

Ikki raised his eyebrows before he scowled. "Fine." He paused for a moment, before his expression changed into something that looked just plain evil. "So…what were you dreaming about last night…er…this morning?"

Kazu blinked. "What?" He shifted into a more comfortable position on the floor.

"You sleep talk."

"I know."

"So _explain._" Ikki grinned wider, teeth glinting. "I'd like to know why you kept mumbling "kiss".

Kazu's eyes snapped wide open, face flushing a bright pink. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Ikki raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I think you do, look at your face!" he laughed, "who's the girl?"

"I, um, I meant that I had forgotten the dream." He looked away for a moment, face still pink.

Ikki frowned skeptically but let it drop. He took his eyes off of Kazu and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. It wasn't really the time, but…Ikki was curious. _Well if he won't tell me…_Considering that Ikki was the most common word, didn't that mean that it was someone that Ikki was supposedly after? Or at least someone that they both knew, or discussed. The only other option was…well that was impossible. Ikki would know if Kazu…

…liked guys.

…_right?_

* * *

"K-Kazu-sama?" A timid voice piped up quietly from behind the hotel room's door, accompanied with a small tapping sound. _Is that supposed to be a knock…?_ Ikki sat up from his spot next to Kazu on the floor and shuffled to the door, feet barely lifting off the ground.

_Did I sleep at all last night…?_ No, Ikki didn't think so.

"Ikki's in there too, you know, and Kazu's probably aslee-," Ringo was cut off when Ikki opened the door after a quick peer through the peephole. "Ah, there you are. We heard you talking to Ton-chan this morning; sorry you couldn't come with the class."

Ikki scratched the back of his neck. "Well it's not like I really _wanted_ to go look at some dead guy's grave anyway…so you know that Kazu got a cold," he mentioned, eyeing the steaming cup that Emiri was holding close to her chest.

"Is he okay?" Emiri's voice sounded overly worried. _It's just a _cold_ for God's sake…_Ikki thought, exasperated.

…not that he wouldn't have done the same thing for the kid.

"Yeah, Kazu's fine. He's just lazing around," he explained. "You bring that for him, or have you suddenly developed very strong feelings for me?" Ikki tried to keep his face straight as he gestured at the cup that Emiri still had clutched tightly to herself.

"Shut up, can I just go give this to him before it gets cold?"

Ikki merely shrugged and turned to walk inside, letting the girls follow.

"Just because I'm sick doesn't mean I can't speak for myself…" The object of their conversation was sitting back up on the couch. "And hey," he added, nodding to the two girls. "You have no idea how boring it can get with just bird-brain here."

Ikki shot a glare at the blonde even though his tone was playful and obviously joking. "Yeah, well at least you didn't have to spend the day with someone less godly than me." Ikki puffed out his chest, playing along.

"Ha! As if badgering me for five hours straight could be called 'godly,'" Kazu retorted with a snort.

"Badgering? You were just being stubborn. And besides, you weren't even _awake_ for five hours!"

"Um…" Ringo cut in. Both boys turned their heads immediately; Ikki had even forgotten that they were there. "Sorry to cut in, but we weren't really here to hear you argue, we brought you two food. The class went to dinner on the trip." Ikki noticed the bulging plastic bag in Ringo's hand for the first time.

"Foo-!" Ikki paused, mid-explanation. "But-,"

"And yes, I brought plenty of meat." Ikki grinned and happily received the bag from the girl and began to rummage through it when a pair of feet moving towards Kazu caught his eye. He looked up to see Emiri stood before Kazu, holding the steaming paper cup out in front of her.

"I um…I bought some tea from a small shop on the way back…" Her voice was low, and she was blushing like mad. _Damn she has it bad…_Ikki though, frowning slightly. "I-it's just a peppermint herbal, if you want it…" Emiri trailed off, voice unsure and timid.

Kazu's eyes widened and his cheeks tinged pink. _That's embarrassment, right?_ Ikki's eyebrows twitched. _Right_…_He's just finally gets that she's madly in love with him._

"Thanks…you didn't have to…" Kazu reached out and took the cup gently from Emiri's hold, fingers avoiding the girl's. Or at least it _looked_ like he avoided them.

"Oh n-not at all, I wanted to, I um…" Emiri looked off to the side then back at Kazu. "I-I…I was worried."

"Well…thanks," Kazu mumbled, taking a sip from the small cup to show his gratitude, voice filled with embarrassment.

Ringo picked up on the awkward atmosphere though, it seemed, and smiled. "Well, Emiri, we should be going." The other girl nodded and put her hand on the couch next to Kazu for a moment before the two female storm riders left quickly, chirping out two short "bye"s in unison as they left the room.

At the click of the locking door, Ikki sighed and stuck his head back into the food bag before heading over to sit next to Kazu on the couch. However…

"What's this?" Ikki noticed a little white parcel poking out from under his leg. _Sugar…well, it's all that's left._

Kazu peered over at the white package in the Crow's hands. "What's that?"

"You want sugar, right?" Ikki nodded at the Jet's tea.

"…well yeah." Kazu scratched the back of his neck. "It's fine that she didn't bring any though."

Ikki leaned over without a word, tearing off the corner of the little white paper pouch and pouring the sugar into Kazu's tea. "There."

"Eh? Where'd you get that?"

"Emiri left it here."

"…oh. Thanks," he mumbled, "I didn't see it."

"Oh, and I call shower first."

"Tch…"

* * *

"Ikki." Kazu voice came from behind Ikki, who turned and looked at the blonde, teeth holding the end of the thin white bandage as he re-bandaged the wounds on his torso. "Can you hand me those?" Kazu asked, tugging the towel off of his head and tossing it off onto the ground. The Jet had rolled the hem of his left pant leg up so that it didn't cover his unwrapped leg, and he had left his shirt off to keep his back wounds clear as well.

Ikki frowned and looked back down at his own stomach, sticking the end of the bandage to his stomach with his thumb. "No."

"What??"

"C'mere, I'm doing it for you," He said flatly. "Besides, you can't see your back." Kazu frowned a little but didn't protest as he walked over to sit in the gap that Ikki had made in front of himself. "Arms up." The skinny jet obeyed, letting out a soft sigh.

As Ikki wrapped the white bandaging from Kazu's chest and up and over both shoulders, covering the still deep gashed on the blondes back, he found himself grimacing at the sight of how little the wounds had healed. He finished wrapping Kazu's torso and pressed the end of the self-adhesive bandage, hands lingering on the boy's pale skin.

_I don't want him to get hurt anymore._

Ikki moved his hands from Kazu's torso and shifted to the side, bending down to attend to Kazu's leg as well.

"Ikki, I can…"

"I'm doing it," Ikki said firmly, pressing the new strip of bandaging to his Jet's skinny but muscled leg, wrapping it gently but firm enough for it to keep until the next night. His eyebrows pulled together again when he noticed how the leg had barely healed as well.

_I want to protect him. Don't want this to happen ever again._

"Kazu," Ikki mumbled the other boy's name, voice soft.

"…Yeah?" Blue eyes peered into his, curious and piercing but foggy.

"Go take your cold stuff, I'll clean up."

Kazu blinked, unsure. "Uh…yeah." The blonde walked into the bathroom where he'd left the small bottle, wobbling slightly as he moved. Ikki watched him for a moment before putting the small stash of medical supplies back into his bag. After he heard two sneezes come from the bathroom, Kazu emerged again, rubbing his nose as he dragged his feet back to the couch and sat down heavily.

"Here, Kazu," Ikki offered up the blonde's white sweatshirt, and Kazu tugged it over his head, only to find that when his head popped up from the hooded neck hole, Ikki has his white beanie right over his golden locks. He tugged the hat onto Kazu's head, only to pause there.

_What am I…? _

Well hell, he had _no_ idea what he was doing, but when he found himself leaning towards the blonde, he found that he didn't really care. Maybe his hands moved of their own accord when they found their way to the back of Kazu's head and the boy's lower back, and maybe his body did too when it moved closer to Kazu's, but his mouth…

He definitely had no idea why his mouth found its way to Kazu's.

But Ikki didn't really care either. He pulled Kazu closer, tongue slipping into the other boy's half opened mouth, – probably opened from shock, but Ikki didn't blame him; he didn't know what he was doing either – and deepened the…kiss? Could it even be _classified_ as that? But _damn_ Kazu tasted good. Ikki had always loved that cough syrup but…this was different.

Mind you…it _was_ his best friend's mouth…

Ikki tried to stop thinking as he kissed Kazu deeper yet, teeth nibbling and pulling at Kazu's lips, kissing and suckling and trying to get more of that flavor. That flavor that was sweet cherry but…better.

Ikki felt Kazu move a little and let out a small moan, but…Kazu wasn't protesting, wasn't trying to stop Ikki. He was kissing back. Or at least, he moved his lips with Ikki's, pressed himself closer to the larger boy, allowed himself to be shifted until he was laying on the couch with Ikki on top of him, mouths in contact all the while.

…_When did I get on top of Kazu?_ Ikki pulled back for a short moment, moving his arms to grip gently but firmly at Kazu's shoulders for support before he leaned in again, pressing his lips to Kazu's bright red ones, still stained from the medicine even after Ikki and sufficiently robbed them of their flavor. But even without the bait of the cherry, the Crow still found himself pressing himself to Kazu, kissing him, loving how the other boy would move along with him.

Or at least, until Kazu's responses slowed, and then came to a stop. Ikki pulled back gently with one last pull at the other's lip and eyed the blonde curiously, only to find that Kazu had fallen asleep.

…well that was somewhat unexpected. Ikki sighed and let go of the blonde, stood and reached over to the bed and grabbed a blanket, before he returned to the couch, laying down into the gap between Kazu and the couch's back. He pulled Kazu closer, and with the sleeping Jet resting against his chest, pulled the blanket over the both of them.

…_I want to protect him. _

Ikki pulled Kazu closer yet, trying to minimize the distance. He had no idea what he was doing, thinking, feeling, but…he couldn't get close enough to the Jet. It was like there was some force out of his control. The only thing keeping him on the ground.

_Like gravity…_

After pressing his lips to Kazu's forehead one last time that night, Ikki let sleep overcome him for the first time in what felt like days.

* * *

**A/N: **I-I feel like this chapter moves a little too fast...input?? ;;;


	11. Discoveries

**A/N:** Buuuuuuh it's been a while, ne? Not AS long, but...I'm really hoping I'm not losing too many of you guys here. My muse has been bouncing around taunting me for the past few months, and only rarely have I been able to write anything that I felt was decent.

...this isn't particularly one of them, but I think it's fine. Belly at least said she couldn't tell a difference, but I'm open to feed back and all.

So! The main reason for this update - I don't give a SHIT about where you guys live, it's still **March 10th**_here_, and therefore it's still EOTS ANNIVERSARY. I live on the edge though, I'm reaaaaaaaally pushing it here. It's close to midnight here, even. So like...I'm counting it though. xD;;;

And hey - this break wasn't as bad, at least I got a few one-shots up. Right? RIGHT? Bear with me here guys, I'm really trying. I promise. ALSO! THIS IS FOR KAZU-BABE - MIND YOU, IT'S BEEN ALMOST TWO MONTHS SINCE YOUR BIRTHDAY, BUT FORGIVE ME MY DARLING FICTIONAL CHARACTER OF OH!GREAT'S.

AND! Are any of my readers going to **Sakura-Con**? I ammmm and I'll be going as **Gokudera Hayato** from **Reborn!**, so look for any Gokuderas, I'll have "**Masi-no-Ichigo**" on me somewhere!

As far as reviews go - This chapter was the altime high, shout-outs to **Ranchan-Akari, Gotyu, dogcollar600, Goggie, PheonixShadow [[**S-sorry, it's a bit too late for a birthday thing...haha...**]], and Ryuiichiro Sakuraba** **[[**glad to see another new reader hooked, thank you~!**]] ** and thanks to the new watches and all, I'd name you all too, but...too lazy Masi. I'm waking up in about 5 hours, gimme a break. xD;;; And nu I didn't forget you **Rae-nee**, you didn't get the time to review but you still let me know your thoughts so thank you so much, and **Ma-kun** darling, your review was short [[from CIFT POV, really in normal fic-land, it was lovely sized. xD]] but soooo loved! CURSES THE NO COMPUTER.

AUTHOR POWER IS IN ITS WORKS.

**[[EDIT: **If anyone's interested in my other writing, I have an original story in the works, and I'll be posting my stuff as **xX-Hanabi-Xx** on DeviantArt! Also, I have Air Gear fanarts on DA as **Masi-no-Ichigo** if anyone cares~! OKAY I'LL SHUT UP NOW.**]]**

- Much love, Masi

* * *

Kazu squeezed his eyes shut; he _couldn't_ wake up…_no, no, still to early, such a good dream…_Kazu was never one much to believe that dreams meant something more than pictures and sounds you imagine, showing the things you wish you'd see and the things you're afraid of rolled into one huge ball and dropped onto you as you slept. The good things keeping you calm, the bad ones jerking you awake. While some people would hold their eyes shut, and keep pretending that they were asleep, just to see the happy ending, the Jet would always just sigh and give up, acknowledging that his night was over.

But this time was different. This time, Kazu didn't want to acknowledge that he was awake; he didn't want to acknowledge that fact that the last thing he remembered was a dream.

But hell, Ikki would never _actually_ kiss him. The feeling of being closed in by another body on top of him, not the feeling of being trapped but the feeling of being _protected_…well Kazu certainly wasn't against it. Kazu sighed and rolled over onto his back, only to find that, hey, _there wasn't any couch there._ Kazu's eyes snapped open and he inhaled sharply in surprise. _Shit, my back…!_

"Where do you think you're going?" The feeling the gut falling immediately before his body followed disappeared as a strong arm wrapped around the blonde's skinny frame, pulled him back to the safety of the couch and pressed him against a broad chest.

Well, that was unexpected. "Ikki…?" Kazu found himself staring into a mess of bandages and looked up to see Ikki raising his eyebrows as he looked down curiously at the blonde. "What's up with that expression, did you forget…?" The Crow looked skeptical.

"…thought it was a dream," Kazu replied, face flushing.

Ikki chuckled and pressed a forefinger to the blonde's hat-padded forehead. "You _would_. Who falls asleep when someone's fucking _making-out_ with them?" Even though the Crow's tone was playful, Kazu still got up and off the couch to stand awkwardly in front of him. "Haha, Kazu, I was just jok-…!" Ikki stopped mid-sentence and Kazu saw the boy's body freeze.

"…Ikki? Hey, what's up?"

"They didn't…" Ikki's voice was quiet and disbelieving as he sat up and leaned forward, and Kazu felt his hand move swiftly across the back of his head, accompanied by the soft crunch of wrinkling paper.

_Paper…?_ "Ikki?" The Crow held a yellow piece of paper. A small yellow square. _No…_Ikki scanned the paper and cursed loudly, steady hand shaking slightly for the first time in what seemed like ages to Kazu. "_Ikki_, let me see it," the blonde requested, reaching up for the note. The other boy didn't respond, he just held the tiny note with a firm grip, causing the paper to visibly wrinkle little by little.

"No, no, _no_, they _couldn't_…" Ikki suddenly up and left, ignoring Kazu as he moved from the couch to the windows and the door, checking the dead bolts and the locks. Just as he moved towards the room separator, Kazu had had it.

"IKKI," Kazu finally shouted, causing the brunette to jump a foot and look back at the Jet, bewildered.

"What?"

"Let me see the note," Kazu repeated, confused.

Ikki hesitated. "…no."

"Why not?" Kazu asked, frowning. "What are you hiding?"

Ikki bit his lip for a moment before mumbling a soft "nothing," dark eyes pained. He held out his hand, note crinkled and laying in his palm. Kazu's eyebrows furrowed slightly but he walked forward and took the note from the other boy's cool palm.

_No, not cool…clammy?_ Kazu wondered at the thought. As soon as he had taken the note from Ikki, the Crow used the now free hand to dig into his pocket, pulling out the bunch of notes, some of which Kazu had relinquished to keep them in the same place. However…Kazu frowned. Had there always been that many? There was one that looked newer…_one that Ikki had hid?_ The blonde reached out and took the least wrinkled sticky-note from the other's palm as well.

_One little piggy left home_

_But _this_ little piggy's not safe alone._

_So Itsuki-kun, you've figured us out?_

…_not that it'll help._

"Ikki…? Why didn't you…?"

"It was on your forehead," Ikki mumbled, obviously avoiding the question, "when I came back from getting you that medicine."

Kazu swallowed and flattened out the other note, the most recent one.

_Piggies sleep, but Crows do too,_

_Even when he's next to you…_

_Should you have let him go?_

Kazu felt Ikki's eyes on him as he read, and immediately after he looked up they made eye contact, the Crow's apologetic. "Kazu…"

The blonde didn't reply. _What should we do? Why didn't you tell me? Why you, why me? Why _us_? Is anyone next? Why _now_? _The Jet's mind was reeling with questions, and he took a few steps backwards before letting his knees give way, collapsing on the couch behind him. He brought a shaking hand to his own forehead, fingers slipping under the fabric of his hat, burying into his golden locks and pressing indentations into his scalp.

It was times like these, when Kazu was always unsure and unsteady, Ikki was always dead-sure,

"Kazu…" The soft voice tried again, penetrating his thought, interrupting his reverie, stopping him short.

Kazu attempted to voice all of his questions at once. "_Why_?" The Crow kept silent, the atmosphere stiff and stressed, tense. "Why right now, why us, why this, why here _too_, why…?" The blonde was aware of the soft pat of Ikki's feet moving on the carpet, and he movement when the couch lowered slightly to his right. He kept his forehead cupped in his quavering palm, trying to keep his breathing steady. He wasn't sobbing, but was just so stunned out of his wits that he could hardly control his body.

Sure, he and Ikki had dealt with threats before, fought against determined – and debatably deranged and/or blood thirsty – opponents before, been through miles and years together, but…_this._ _This_ was different; Chibatsu just wouldn't let it _go_. Mixed in with the thrill of a new challenge and challenger was the fear of having no control and being so god damned _venerable_. To think that the team had been in the same room, and gotten within touching range of the boys while _both_ were sound asleep, even when only Kazu himself was sleeping…to know that the fingernails that were painted and stained the color of blood, that had dug into Ikki's _flesh_…Kazu shuddered.

It wasn't _normal_ for the boy named 'Stealth' to get feel this freaked out and scared, he wasn't comfortable with it, wasn't used to it. Because at time like these, Ikki would always be confident, in control, and even if he wasn't, he would at least fake it until he was.

It was just _wrong_ to see the Crow so stressed, freaked.

Not that the past week had been normal in any way….had it really only been a week? The blonde had lost count of the days since that first message, the blood-written note, had first appeared. _No no, maybe it was closer to two weeks…_Kazu's eyebrows crumpled together in thought. It was all so rushed, but time still felt like it was crawling along so _slowly_ sometimes.

And sometimes said time could seemingly stop. All the blurs mixed with the slow motion images, everything froze.

And somehow Ikki managed to pull that off.

"I've got no fucking idea, man," Ikki mumbled, apparently deciding to try and answer the impossible question, and Kazu finally removed his palm from his forehead, blue eyes wandering over to Ikki. The other boy's voice was thick and controlled, and he was moving and shifting constantly, body unable to sit still; a shift of arms, a shuffle of feet, a run of fingers through dark spikes.

"…Ikki?" He received a short noise of recognition as a sign to continue. "Do you know why you…when you…last night?" he asked, voice low. Sure, the question made essentially no sense, but the bird-brained idiot was smart enough to figure it out.

"What?" The Crow blinked curiously at him and Kazu made a face. _Or not_.

"How do you not know what I mean?" Kazu scoffed, "you fucking _kissed_ me, man."

"Oh. That." Ikki set his expression, but said nothing else, the two boys sitting quietly in the awkward atmosphere. There was a long moment's pause – so long that Kazu himself had nearly forgotten the question – before Ikki finally mumbled muttered out a hoarse "I'm not really sure." His voice was light, hesitant, and Kazu had to strain his ears to hear it through the beanie's muffled hearing.

But he managed. "…'scuse me?" he mumbled despite that, asking more out of misunderstanding than mishearing.

"I mean," he started, sounding unsure. Kazu frowned; unsure Crows weren't good…was it his fault? "I mean, I'm not sure why…I'm not sure whether it was because I was fucking delirious and sleep deprived, whether it was because you looked and smelled like you'd taste like cherry" – this sparked a blush from the blonde, the boy flushing very close to the color of said cherries – "whether I was just being a stupid teenage boy doing whatever the hell came to mind, or if I…" he trailed off, voice sounding incredulous and confused, flustered. "…or whether I'm in love…with you."

His last words were nearly inaudible, intangible, yet they rang out loudly at the blonde, a deafening jumble of words, making his ears ring and his head buzz.

Did Ikki really…was it even possible…? But Kazu grasped hopefully at the thought, surprising himself. Hell, he had no idea how he felt either, but…lately, the thoughts he'd been having and the dreams and images he'd seen – and apparently spoken, according to Ikki…_awkward_... – weren't exactly..._normal_.

…or particularly straight. But if Ikki…if_ Ikki_ felt that way... – Kazu nearly shook his head; _no no, this is a dangerous train of thought_ – if Ikki felt that way, of course, Kazu could at least…go along with it, right? Hell, besides, Ikki was always the one who made the choices anyway, and they eventually turned out right, AT's for, example.

"…then why don't you try again?" he asked quietly, fingers tugging the white beanie over his embarrassed eyes and blushing ears. He could _feel_ the skeptical look coming from the Crow, and he felt as though his face was sun burnt it was so hot, but _really_…Kazu _really_ just wanted to know.

Okay, well, he wanted to know a lot of things, but this was a start, at least. He wanted to at least know _one_ thing. Because whether Ikki decided that he _did_ have previously unknown feelings for the skinny thing called 'Stealth", of whether the second he touched his lips to Kazu's he realized that he had to fight the urge to vomit, at least they would _know_.

Of course, that was assuming Ikki would take him up on his offer.

"Kazu, you…" Ikki began, voice betraying the Crow's skepticism, and the other boy blushed further.

"I-…I don't know anything either, so why not?" He kept his voice soft, trying to keep his nearly palpable hope from showing too obviously in his voice. "You've probably already gotten my cold anyway."

The couch beneath him sunk down a few inches in Ikki's side when the Crow moved closer, movements slow and awkward. The blonde's hands were worrying at the hem of his sweatshirt as he kept his eyes anywhere but Ikki's for as long as he could.

Which, of course, couldn't be forever. The Crow let out a small sound of determined consent, the tone marred with hints of hesitancy, confusion, and wonder, before he bent forward and took Kazu's chin between his thumb and forefinger in a warm grasp, forcing Kazu's gaze onto his.

…_and besides_, Kazu found himself thinking as his focus on Ikki blurred slightly at the changing distance, _it can't get anymore awkward anyway_.

--

* * *

--

"Hm?" The girl's ears perked from behind her long pigtails. Ringo had been waiting for the boys' soft conversation to come to a stop – of course, she hadn't been listening, that would be so _rude_ – before she could bring herself to open the small divider door to interrupt. Hopefully the boys knew about the doors that connected each pair of rooms, because otherwise…well that would be awkward, Ringo walking into their room from what appeared to them as a _closet_.

She crossed her fingers. But before she moved her hand toward the handle, she let her eyes trail over to the other girl's position sprawled out on the bed, making sure that she was still asleep. Because, well, Emiri was a sweet kid and all, but…she was a little overwhelming…what with her constant fawning over her oh-so-obvious crush, Kazu and all. It really _had_ taken Kazu forever to realize the girl's affections, but now that he had, it had only gone downhill; the girl had come to assume that the embarrassed flush that tinted his pale cheeks along with the excessive doting wasn't just because of his sheer discomfort with the situation, but because he "must have some sort of feelings too!" Maybe only Ringo could tell because of the amount of time that she had known Kazu because of his friendship with Ikki, but _really_, wasn't Emiri's thinking that Kazu felt _anything_ special for her being just a bit too…hopeful?

Or maybe that was just her being jealous over the fact that _she_ at least was getting _something_, whereas Ikki showed little to nothing of anything other than pure platonic affections to the Apple herself. But…whether Kazu's blushes were pro or con Emiri, it was better to leave her quick morning food delivery to the quarantined boys as a solo mission.

She grasped the handle lightly, and brought up her knuckles to give the wooden door two quick raps – the boys would shout if she wasn't welcome, so she saw no reason to do more than that – and she turned the gold-painted metal handle without hesitation.

However often the girl said that she could find reasoning for everything she saw, even if she had to quickly think up a plausible reason as an excuse…she had no way to explain what she saw when she poked her head around the door, starting to call out the Crow's name. But halfway through the word, her eyes registered…whatever was going on in front of her.

No no, it couldn't be true – _that _can't_ be Ikki_ – because it wasn't even _possible_ – _and that definitely _can't_ be Kazu_ – for Ikki to be leaning over, back of his spiked head facing Ringo, and the visible portion of Kazu's face looking dazed and confused. But she only caught a glimpse before the Crow's head whipped around in surprise, his eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, and Kazu's blue irises were completely visible between his equally as wide eyes peeping out from behind him.

The girl felt her face heat up, and she spun around back into her room with a small squeak of "sorry to interrupt!" She shut the door quickly with her fingertips, face approaching the color of her burgundy-red hair, and she stood flat as a pancake against the wall, eyes just as wide as the boys' in shock, bag of snacks still grasped firmly in her other hand and banging against the wall, still swinging from the momentum.

Well, that was…unexpected. Surprising. Shocking. And…only a _little_ heart breaking.

--

* * *

--

He couldn't explain it. But when Ikki pressed his lips to his, Kazu…well, Kazu didn't really know what he thought, but he knew that everything he _could_ think of was _Ikki_.

That was until he heard a small voice coming from behind the Crow, the first and only word the unfinished name of Ikki. Said Crow whipped his head around, and Kazu caught a glimpse of a confused and embarrassed looking Ringo before she disappeared behind the room separator again with a heated face and small blurt of incomprehensible words with a tiny and high voice.

Well…he couldn't blame her, it was just as awkward for him – he wished there was some door that he could go and hide behind while Ikki was figuring this whole mess out for the two of them. But somehow, as rare as it felt, Ikki needed him for this at least, and he dutifully and half-willingly stayed. Well…probably more than half-willing, seeing as his body seemed to be pretty okay with Ikki leaning over him; he felt way too comfortable in the discomfort of the situation, with the Crow in an almost protective position over the blonde and what not. Only his mind was divided into two agonizingly confused parts.

"Ikki…aren't you going to…you know?" Kazu averted his gaze from Ikki's again, the Crow's light grasp on his chin still in place. But really, Ikki cared really deeply for Ringo, right? Surely she was more important than something as trivial as finding out whether he felt anything for Kazu.

"No," he said firmly. "This is first…and besides, I'm not leaving you alone." Kazu opened his mouth to say…_something_, though he quickly forgot what that was and barely had time to snap his lips shut before Ikki kissed the smaller boy again; as much as he had enjoyed last night…he wasn't sure if he was prepared for Ikki doing anything more than just finding this thing out.

But apparently Ikki was. The Crow immediately protested this sudden adjustment on the blonde's part, tongue slipping between Kazu's lips and reopening the boy's mouth. _Well then_, Kazu grumbled internally. He got a look from the Crow for a split second, something along the lines of "come on, gimme some help here" before the Crow resumed the tense kiss. It took the blonde a few moments before he caught onto the look and leaned forward towards Ikki, allowing his mouth to shape and move along with the other boy's.

He felt the mouth against his stretch slightly – was Ikki grinning? – before Kazu was suddenly shifted and pressed against the back of the couch, Ikki's arms moving the skinny boy by grabbing at his hips and moving him back and closer to Ikki himself. But all the while, his tongue was invading with the sighed invitation, exploring the possibilities and trying to figure out what both of their minds could not.

Well at least _Ikki_ seemed a little surer of himself; Kazu just kept getting more and more _confused_. Since _when_ did he like the scent of the Crow that much, since _when _did he want that idiot to let his free will take over, and since _when_ did he start making low noises and hums into the other's mouth? Even the Crow's silent exhales onto his upper lip made him sigh happily and lean further towards Ikki. And…Ikki wasn't stopping. So what did _that_ mean?

The kiss was supposed to find him _answers_, but all the Jet was uncovering was more questions. When Ikki finally found it in him to pull away, all Kazu could do was let his eyes follow, desperate blue depths following contemplative mahogany ones. But when Ikki said nothing, his body sagged back further into the couch, the weight of confusion and knowing too little hitting him hard now that Ikki had backed off, and he finally closed his now shiny lips to swallow thickly.

"Kazu…why was Ringo in our closet?"

Kazu blinked. "What?" _Well, finally one thing I can answer_. "That was her room – these rooms are all paired and separated by only a door, which wasn't really a good idea on Ton-chan's part, mind you…pay attention to what people tell you," he managed to utter out a somewhat scolding response, but he could think of nothing else to say afterwards.

But of course, Ikki could, like always. "Hey, I was probably in the toilet or som-," the Crow's eyes widened again and he paused. "No…"

"What?" _Really_, Kazu hated sounding so clueless, but the word came out automatically in his confusion. Hell, he didn't even know if he was asking about that when the word was spoken.

"That door." Ikki pointed at it, index finger harsh and accusing, as if the door were some despised enemy.

"What about it?" _Damn it, damn it, why am I so stupid today?_ He cursed at himself for not being able to find anything out for the life of him.

"Chibatsu." Ikki said the word flatly, voice stunned, expression incredulous. "They've been using that door."

* * *

**P.S.** ...this one's only a bit shorter, please forgive me!

Love to all!


	12. Revolting Return

**A/N:** Okay so. I have no computer, this is my mother's laptop at the moment guy; bear with me if it takes a bit for the next update, kay? It should be fine though, seeing how long my average wait is for you guys....PLEASE FORGIVE THE OBVIOUS LACK OF EDITING - I HAD NO COMPUTER UNTIL NOW.

OKAY I DON'T THINK I CAN DO REVIEW REPLIES AT THE MOMENT SEEING AS I CAN BARELY TYPE, BUT! All of the reviews were lovely and I loved them allllll, so thank thank thank you to all who did review. It helps a lot.

HAHAHA ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER...! ||||||oTL PLEASE DON'T KILL ME GUYS! I've got maybe two of three more chapters of EotS lined up, and I'l announce something on the last chapter, okay all? STICK WITH ME PLEASE, I LOVE YOU ALL MY WONDERFUL READERSSSSSSS~ -tosses hearts-

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO THE LOVELY AND WONDERFULLY WONDERFUL CRIMSON VIXEN. **She knows why~ Much much love, love.

**P.S: HOLY CRAB APPLES I ALMOST FORGOT: To any readers of the story Folly and Sin, Crimson Vixen is working on it, okay? It'll be updated, and everyone stick with her through this too, kay?**

MUCH LOVE TO ALL,

- MASI

* * *

The most horrible silences weren't those with the awkward tensions of possibly wanting to kiss your best friend more than you should, nor the silences caused by a forgotten phrase or a lost word; the most horrible silences were those caused by a mutual realization that everything that you'd been searching for had been just under your nose, striking you when you blinked.

Because no. Of course not. Of _course_ he hadn't seen the most obvious entrance; of _course_ he hadn't checked the _one door_ that they had been using. Ikki swore quite loudly and brought his index and middle fingers to rub at his temple, unconsciously making the sign for "shoot me" with his gun shaped hand. He did however consciously feel his eyebrows twitch with irritation.

"…fuck."

Kazu sat frozen, still staring at the point to where Ikki had pointed, long after the Crow had moved. But said Crow was pacing back and forth in front of him, and barely paid notice. He was still running over every fucking thing that was going on, his mind reeling, but oh no no, he couldn't just focus upon the most important matter at hand – their _safety_ – but he could only focus on the matter with the _least_ logical priority; his _feelings._

_Damn_ that sounded gay. As did the whole "kissing another guy" thing. Ikki groaned internally. _Really_, focusing on the Chibatsu ordeal was the most important issue, right? Yet the Crow couldn't stop himself from going over the most recent and most unrelated thoughts.

So naturally, the obvious and only choice to clear his spiked head was to finish what he had started. He turned back to Kazu without another word – the kid wasn't stupid, he'd figure it out – and returned to his former position, straddling Kazu on his knees. He leaned in without hesitation, eliminating the distance between them in a fraction of a second.

"Ik-…!"

He ignored the blonde's short outburst and cut him off with a sharp collision of their lips; he _knew_ what Kazu had been trying to say, knew why the Jet, known for his speed, wanted Ikki to slow down. He wanted Ikki to think rationally, think about what was important, what should come next.

As if he could. He ignored the boy's protests until he calmed down, allowing the Crow's curiosity to take control. _Okay so…_Ikki stole a deep kiss, tongue slipping into Kazu's mouth as before. Well it was obvious that – though Ikki was shocked by the thought – he _wanted_ Kazu. _Wanted_ to kiss the boy, _wanted_ to do what he wanted, _wanted_ to protect him. And it was obvious that he got along with the kid, even if he'd been a bully at first.

So then…what did that mean? His eyebrows furrowed and his half-closed eyes lids finally fell shut. "Mmn…" He moaned, hands moving from the back of the couch to slide down and rest as Kazu's hips for a moment before sliding up and disheveling his shirt to explore beneath.

_Well he sure as hell doesn't have tits,_ Ikki thought, hands gliding over the soft chest. But for the first time, he found that to be better. The mounds – though attractive and a good squeeze – just plain would have gotten in the way. Because as his fingertips splayed over the smooth flesh beneath, he found no obstacles, just the pure lean muscle. Kazu let out a small noise beneath him as Ikki shifted, hands sliding easily down to the boy's hips; a smooth journey, not too curvy, just soft and straight.

"Ikki…" Kazu mumbled, lips obstructed by the others pressing against them, but still managing to get the word out even with Ikki having his way. But the Crow didn't stop, just pondered. The Jet's voice was lower than a girl's of course, but it wasn't nearly as ugly as most guys. Most men, in the AT world anyway, over compensated for weakness by trying to appear tough. But the blonde never needed that, even if he _wasn't_ so fucking fast. He'd always ignored his self image, including such things as trivial as voice. But Ikki relished the sounds he made; Kazu's soft moans and groans were all quiet and though most were somewhat of whines, he wasn't _nearly_ as squeaky as a chick. _Definitely _less squeaky, and less annoyingly high-pitched and deafening. Ikki hummed, pleased, but Kazu grumbled even louder.

_Mmm…I'll let him speak,_ he thought, _hell, he's not like, pounding on me or anything._ He slid his lips off of the other boy's as last, laughing immaturely through his nose at the slight suction noise, and trailed them down to Kazu's neck. _Y'know, to let him speak, but…still not stopping._ Because of course he couldn't stop, not when he was still investigating.

"Ikki, mn, what're you…?" His voice sounded strangled, undoubtedly because of the mouth at his throat, and Ikki left the question unanswered; wasn't it obvious? Wasn't it _obvious_ that Ikki was trailing his slightly parted lips along the groove on his neck, wasn't it _obvious_ that Ikki had tipped his face forward for his nose to trail along his skin and inhale the familiar scent that saturated the pale skin? He sighed slowly after a long inhale – since when had Kazu smelled this good? – and replaced his mouth on Kazu's neck.

"Ikki, I un…shouldn't we get mmmoving?"

"Should we?" he murmured for the first time in what seemed like ages, aware that Kazu was probably trying to get him to stop without directly ordering or asking him to. "You trying not to hurt my feelings, or are you as intrigued by this as I am, and being serious?"

"I uhm…" The Jet started to reply, cut off by his only throat emitting an involuntary moan. "Mmn…does it matter?"

Ikki pressed forward, sucking so hard that he left a small red mark on the boy's light skin when he finally pulled back. What really killed him was that the kid tasted just as damn good as he smelled. His lips were still on Kazu's skin when he finally replied firmly; "yeah."

"Mm…" Kazu chewed on his lower lip for a moment while Ikki finally pulled back. "Then I'm serious," he stated softly, tongue darting out to flick across his ravished lips before he pulled the Crow back towards him, tongue mimicking Ikki's previous actions and kissing the older boy fully. Ikki attempted to snort with his mouth busy, which resulted in a weak hiccup of a sound, but ignored the obvious lack of thought; he was too amused to see the Kazu wouldn't let himself be undone even in kissing.

_Kissing. Kissing Kazu. _Kazu_ for god's sake…_he leaned in farther even than before, and attempted to take control of the situation as the boy's tongue continued to search. As the both of their hands found their ways to tangle themselves in a soft head of hair, the Crow relished the blonde's hair; it wasn't so fucking long like a girl's either, and hell, if it was a girl, he couldn't tug on it like that, he couldn't be nearly as rough. But Kazu was a strong kid, and hell, he'd have to be gentle with a girl, right? _Chicks aren't as…fun_.

They released their grips on the other simultaneously, Kazu with a look of unfathomable confusion on his face as Ikki pulled back for the last time, mouth still open as he brought the heel of his hand to wipe at the dribble of spit from below his lower lip. Hell, he didn't even know _who's_ it was…probably a mixture of the both. He twitched, tense. _So fucking weird… _"Let's…let's get your bandages fixed," Ikki said, suddenly feeling more worn than before – hell, from the kiss? It couldn't have been _that_ exhausting – and grabbed the pile of supplies from before, when Kazu stopped him.

"No, I'm fine, but _yours_ look like shit." Kazu's face was still flushed in embarrassment from before, but his blue eyes held a firm gaze. "And besides, yours is still bleeding more than mine, I'm not blind," he pointed out. "I can wait until we get back, we're leaving this afternoon."

Ikki made a face, pulling off his t-shirt. "Fine fine," he grumbled, only continuing to frown even more when the blonde snatched the roll of fresh bandages from the Crow's hand as he sat down heavily on the couch. Kazu stood up in retaliation.

"I said they look like shit; I'm doing it." Ikki looked up with a dull glare, but knew it was hopeless and let it go in resignation. However, when Kazu moved forward, both of them seemed to notice the _slight_ difficulty; with the Crow's wound on his front side, Kazu would have a _very_ hard time bandaging him from anywhere aside from the front. Ikki raised an eyebrow.

"See? I'll do-…"

Kazu cut him off. "No," he said firmly, and paused for a moment, before finally resigning to the situation and straddling the Crow, face betraying his embarrassment at mimicking the other's previous position. He quickly stripped away the already bloodied bandages – it hadn't even been a _day_ – and began wrapping the newer roll around the Crow's torso. "And don't say a word," he muttered, just as the other boy had opened his mouth to speak.

"You're cuter than I thought."

Kazu's head snapped up, face nearly as red as the blood coursing through the veins below. "What?" His bemused azure eyes were staring at Ikki, and the brunette shrugged in reply.

"Guys aren't supposed to be cute."

"And? What, you thought I was ugly until you had your way with me first?"

"You're cute. It's weird." Ikki chose to ignore the blonde's second question.

"Tch. Just shut up." The blonde tugged his hat further down and nearly covered his eyes, shifting again to continue dressing the boy's wound. Ikki obeyed in silence, mind still pondering over the concept of finding Kazu _cute_ of all things, when Kazu finally mumbled "done." Ikki looked down curiously.

"Obsessive compulsive," he stated as he examined the dressings on his torso. The white layers weren't too tight, weren't too lose, and the fabric was flat against his skin with no bumps or ridges.

"Fuck you." A pillow from the bed was sent hurtling in the Crow's direction, only to be caught by a swift hand.

"Thanks, Kazu."

"Yeah yeah…"

* * *

Kazu huffed through his nose. "I don't want to sit on a train for the whole damn afternoon." His head fell forward onto the seat-back in front of him as the rest of the class piled onto the train home. "What was the point of this fieldtrip anyway?"

Ikki flopped down in the aisle seat next to the Jet. "I think it was some historical shit…mind you, _we_ didn't do any of it," he commented, avoiding the topic of what they _had_ been doing. "But…I think I've already had the cold you've got; I would have gotten it by now, after…" he trailed off, his eyes flicking towards the curious classmates eyeing in on the low-voiced conversation. "After we had to be locked up together for that long. 'Cause I was sick earlier this year…"

"Probably," Kazu mumbled, "hey um…wake me up later, okay? I think I'm gonna sleep for a bit."

"Tch, lazy asshole. I have to just wait by myself?" Ikki snorted, but the insult that he directed towards the blonde had a good-humored undertone. "Sure sure." He watched Kazu's eyes drift shut before his eyes wandered elsewhere, watching as the last stragglers came rushing onto the train. Ringo came into view and Ikki started – he hadn't seen her since…well. And it was obvious that she hadn't forgotten; she made eye contact with Ikki for a split second before she looked away blushing furiously. _Damn, what if she told…?_ Frankly, even though he didn't care what his classmates thought of him – only the AT world mattered really, as far as reputation went – he didn't really want anything spreading when _he_wasn't even sure himself. And well…even if _he_ didn't give a shit, Kazu sure as hell would. He watched the girl sit next to Emiri and her comrade in pigtails, Yayoi, before attempting to put on a cheery and less embarrassed face and blend in.

…and _damn_ she was a bad actor.

* * *

"Hey, what's up with you?" Emiri peered over at Ringo, curious. "You're a spaz today," she said, blinking at the red-haired girl. Ever since that morning, Ringo had been following Yayoi and Emiri around, as usual, but she would switch from deathly quiet to talkative as hell in about two seconds.

"What? That's weird, I can't think of why," the girl responded hastily. "I mean, there's no reason for me to be. Like, nothing happened to change anything so I dunno wh-…" She finally shut up when Yayoi raised an eyebrow and clapped a hand to the girl's mouth.

"Chill," she ordered, and Ringo snapped her mouth shut when Yayoi pulled her hand away. "We know something's up, and you're a horrible actress." Emiri nodded furiously beside her friend. "You might as well tell me and Emiri, or we'll have to figure it out some other way."

Emiri watched Ringo as she contemplated for a moment, teeth tugging at her lower lip in thought. The girl's eyes kept flicking back to the middle of the bus from their position near the front, and when Emiri peeked back to investigate, Ringo was revealed to have been looking back at Ikki frequently. So then…if Ikki had had something to do with it, why the sudden change? Ringo had been like that since Emiri had woken up, and she hadn't seen Ikki since they'd left the boys with a surplus of food…and after that, the Apple had still been normal…

So then, what had Ikki done? "Ringo-chan, it has something to do with Ikki, doesn't it? Did you _finally_ realize you're madly in love with him or something?" The girl reached over Yayoi's lap to prod Ringo in the side. "C'mon, tell us, pleaaaase?"

Ringo sat for a moment more, brooding, before she finally responded; "Sorry, you two, I can't," she said, genuinely apologetic. "Maybe I'll let you know later, but it's not really anything you want to know, anyway."

_They _always_ say that,_ Emiri thought, annoyed. _They always say 'you don't want to know', which _could_ be right, but…! All that does is make me wanna know _more_._ The shorter haired girl huffed slightly then pouted and sat back.

"Fine," she and Yayoi mumbled in unison.

* * *

"Oi, Kazu."

Ikki kept his voice low, soft, and nudged at the boy's side with his elbow. The kid had been asleep for a good few hours, and though the train ride was coming to an end, Ikki was still rather against waking the other boy while he was still recovering from the cold. But, Kazu had asked the Crow to wake him, and said Crow complied; the other alternative would be carrying Kazu bridal style across the train's threshold and well…that might not go over so well. With anyone. Luckily, the boy responded with a small groggy mumble and allowed Ikki to tug him up, using the Jet's right arm to support him off and out of the train at last…only to get back into the crowded car of their teacher again.

Ikki tossed the Jet lightly into his place in the left window seat in the car – okay well it wasn't _really_ a toss, just a little like one; a toss would hurt the kid like hell, and Ikki sure as hell didn't want that – and clambered in behind him, wedging himself carefully between the back of the seat in front of Kazu, avoiding the Jet's leg wound. His spiked head tipped over onto the boy's knees, like before, and though surely only Ringo and whoever she'd told would notice the difference, he was still intensely aware of his cheek brushing the boy's faded and tattered old jeans, his dark hair being unconsciously fiddled with by a tense Jet's fingers because they just _happened_ to be on the same lap, and the way Ringo kept shooting them the most hesitant and nervous glances. While on the other hand…just as Ikki was running over every subtle detail in his mind, Kazu's eyes were fading, the clear blue fogging with sleep and worry as his fingers unconsciously kept threading their way through Ikki's hair.

And though _any_ of the six other people in the miniscule car could have turned around at any moment to see the pale digits fingering their way through the dark forest of spikes at any moment, Ikki found that he _really_ didn't care. And well, apparently Kazu didn't either.

That or he just didn't notice. The funny thing though was that Ikki kind of…

Kazu's fingers slowed to a stop as the blonde's remaining consciousness dwindled in the battle against sleep.

…_Kind of liked it…_Ikki let his eyes drift shut to ease the terrible itching that had been lingering for the entire train ride – he had barely slept the night before, even with Kazu's warmth keeping him from pacing the length of the room like he had during the blonde's previous pass out session. Yet even when he was getting such a short amount of sleep, he still managed to miss the fact that they'd been in the boys' _room_? _Fucking shit_…he thought, angry thoughts transforming and bubbling up from his mouth as an inaudible whisper; "'m sorry, Kazu…"

* * *

"Ikki-kuuuuun," a small mewl sounded from the Crow's side. "Wake uuuup~"

Ikki tore his eyes open and grumbled a little; _not like I'd been sleeping. _He found his eyebrows scrunching in towards the center of his face as Akito latched himself onto the larger boy's arm, eyes squeezed shut in a happy nuzzle. _Fuck_, Ikki swore to himself,_ I can't really…think of him as "God damned faggot" anymore can I…?_ He rubbed his eyes with his left hand instead, right arm twisting in the tight grip of the small fingers in an epic fail of an attempts to get out of it.

"C'mon Ikki-kun, she stopped at out house for us." Ikki raised his eyebrows in surprise at the teacher in the driver's seat.

"Thanks, Ton-chan." _Wonder how much begging it took from Akito before he finally got that shark bastard to scare her shitless and make her stop here_. "C'mon Kazu, you're coming too." He avoided the girls' eyes as he exited the car and tripped over his own legs, the cramped space making his legs sluggish and full of pins and needles. But only when the three boys were out of the back of the car and the small and _slightly_ less stuffed car drove out of site, did Ikki remember that _hey_, it was _Ringo's_ house.

Woops. The Crow immediately grabbed the still sleep-bogged Jet by the wrist – careful to avoid his hand by a good margin, or course – and tugged him into the house and into his room to hide from the girl's looks; they weren't mean or accusing or anything but…Ikki couldn't bring himself to look at those round eyes when they appeared so full of…disappointment, confusion, embarrassment, desolation…?

He shook his head, the short but flexible locks of hair thrown every which way. "Fuck." He made sure that he had shut the door fully behind him and that the flimsy wooden door was locked shut too – hell, it could only hold back Akito, but Akito was also the only person who would _want_ to be in his room in the first place – before Kazu finally muttered out a small and soft sentence from his position on the middle of Ikki's bed, legs curled up to his chest as his eyelids drooped.

"What? Didn't catch that," he mumbled dumbly, sounding noticeably ignorant even to himself.

"Did you decide yet?"

Ikki made a face before he sat on the edge of the bed and scooted back until he was beside the blonde. "I'm…not sure," he grumbled, rubbing at his left temple with the heel of his hand. And _hell_, he really _did_ have no idea. His mind was running over the past two weeks, every difference that had been revealed, every change that he had felt, and every thing that he had realized. He kept his voice low when he finally mumbled the soft question that was meant for _only_ Kazu's ears; "…you got any idea?"

The Crow averted his eyes when he felt the blonde's blue eyes surveying him with a strong sense of skepticism, and he let his darker eyes trail along the smaller boy's thin and pale fingers until the silence ended. "…I kissed you back, didn't I?" Kazu's eyes were directed straight at Ikki's when the Crow looked up from the boy's delicate hands and thin wrists.

"Well damn it, Kazu; I kissed you first with no _fucking_ idea what I was doing."

The blonde scowled back before Ikki even realized that he had been frowning the whole time before. "Yeah well I've always _thought_ about what I've done, haven't I?" He leaned closer to Ikki, eyes piercing into the Crow's gaze. "Shit, Ikki, did you really think I was just looking for a fuck-buddy?"

Ikki blinked, startled by the blonde's sudden assertiveness, but he continued before Ikki could even put in a word. "If I wasn't serious, I wouldn't have said it."

"I meant serious about having to get moving, Kazu…" Ikki pulled up the most obvious phrase possible, but it was the first thing that his mind stumbled upon that didn't make him cringe at the thought of saying.

"I did too, but I also…" The Jet swallowed hard, temporary moment of courage gone in the dust as his cheeks tinted pink. "I also want to be serious about this too, Ikki. So make up your god damned mind," he ended shortly, tone stubborn.

"Kazu, I…" He paused, realizing that he had _no_ idea what to say. But he _did_ make up his mind.

And it was _probably _right. The problem was that he didn't know how to _say_ it. _Kazu_ had always been the one with words, not the immature, fast-paced, and loud-mouthed Crow.

He inhaled slowly before he let his hand slip underneath the smaller and cool one beside it, turning it gently until it was at an angle where he could easily slip his warm fingers in between the other boy's and clasp down, pads of his fingers resting perfectly comfortable in the soft dents between the pale knuckles. Because hell, what would another kiss imply? Seeing as Kazu didn't seem to think that Ikki could take a kiss seriously…this was better, right?

Apparently it was. And because Ikki had always been able to make Kazu see what he meant with even just a single gesture, a short motion, or a single word, and vice versa. So when Kazu pursed his lips before he relinquished the top one, biting at his lower lip – the same one that the Crow had been ravishing just hours before – Ikki knew that the other boy had understood everything from his thoughts to his intentions.

The blonde had just opened his mouth to speak when the soft sound of light footsteps sounded from the hallway outside, and he paused. "Ikki, can we go to my house and grab some of _my_ clothes if you're having me stay here, just because my sister's away?" As he spoke his hands were constantly moving as he gave a pointed look to the door; a swift point at himself, then he pointed to Ikki before he pointed at his mouth and stared intently at the Crow's eyes.

"_I need to talk to you, alone."_

Ikki nodded. "Yeah," he said, pulling on his AT's – which he had conveniently placed in the closet upon returning….was that paranoid? – and tossed the blue pair towards Kazu's position on the bed, directing his gaze towards the window. He launched himself out the window the next moment, the Jet already off the bed and close behind.

It was only a few moments after the boys had left the vicinity of the Noyamano household when Kazu spoke, even though it was only a few moment's run to this Jet's house.

"Ikki?" His voice sounded oddly calm, given the stricken expression his face had been hosting so frequently recently. The blonde's eyes were lowered as he ran, as if needing to watch where his feet landed even after the innumerable times that the two of them had gone back and forth between the two houses.

"Yeah?"

"…thanks."

Ikki raised his eyebrows. "Kazu, I'm not doing it for you," he began, but when he a received a short and surprisingly hurt look, he grimaced and tried to rephrase. "I mean, it's not like I'm making this up and pretending things just to make you happy. It's my own choice, so there's not really a need to thank me for somehow feeling the same as you do. Get it?"

The Jet was rendered speechless. He swallowed hard before he finally uttered the words "got it", cheeks flushed with color. The boys skid to a stop in front of the Mikura household and Ikki grabbed Kazu by the shoulders, parting his lips to speak when suddenly he felt the boy in his grip freeze.

"Kazu?" He followed Kazu's line of sight to the front of the boy's house and his stomach lurched; across the entire front of the house was a huge message, scrawled across the windows and walls with the dark smear of cracked and dried blood, the crimson cloths that had obviously been used for paintbrushes still soaking and scattered across the empty driveway.

--

"_THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME…_

_WHERE WILL YOU GO IF YOU CAN'T STAY HERE?_

_YOU CAN'T STAY WITH HIM FOREVER."_


	13. Repeating Reassurances

**A/N: **I hate my mother, by the way.

Okay guys here's the deal; this is being updated for a very very dear darling person to me, and based on the majority of the stories and their perspective dedications, you all can probably make a good and accurate guess at their identity, but to them - I reall really hope this is okay, and I love you so so sosososo much.

To everyone else - please ignore how shit this chapter is? I'll explain the gaps in the story in the next chapter as a memory of Kazu's it's more important there than it is in this chapter. I love allll of my readers so dearly, and I promised that I would do review replies this chapter but I have to be offline well...now but fuckit I'mma finish this because I promised THAT first. So guys, I'll do more review relpies next chapter, if you haven't abandoned me by then - I'll update really soon too, by my birthday, in early June - the real date doesn't matter. SO get your reviews in so I can reply to them? You know I'd love to hear from everyone of you.

So much love to **all of you, **

Forgive me for the the crap that is this chapterrrrr, and if you think it's not crap, then I love you all even more. Dx

Endless love - Masi [[hahaha Endless. Sure Ma-kun I totally meant you. -love-]]

Here: **Endless, crimson-colored love to all of CIFT and my readers - Masi**

* * *

As his knees buckled beneath him and the legs that were supposed to be holding his weight lost their strength, Kazu couldn't help but be thankful that the hands gripping his shoulders were those of a strong pair of arms that could gather the toppling boy into a secure hold.

"Kazu?!" The startled exclamation hummed in a soft vibration through the chest that Kazu was pressed against.

"If my family was home…or even Chiwa…if anyone was home, who knows what they could have…what they would have…?" The words spilled from his mouth before he even had time to think them over. "And it would have been my fault…!"

"But they weren't," Ikki mumbled, tone soft as he tried to set the blonde back on his feet. "And remember, you told them to stay in America longer so that they wouldn't be here until this shit is over, right? If anything," he shifted Kazu in his arms until he could make eye contact. Kazu blinked, eyes having trouble focusing. "If anything, you're the reason why they're safe."

"But…"

"No," Ikki said shortly, cutting the other boy off.

Kazu blinked. "What?"

"Just…no." The Crow frowned, eyebrows furrowed together.

"You don't even know what I was goi-…"

"I don't have to. You were going to say something along the lines of how you're just a problem, or that it was allllll your fault, but you're not and it isn't. Hell, if it's anyone's fault…it's mine."

Kazu frowned back at the Crow. He couldn't have Ikki thinking like that. It wasn't like him to take the blame. Ever. "Let's just blame Chibatsu."

Ikki snorted, a faint smile resembling the brunette's old cocky grin making a short appearance. "Sounds good."

"…can we head back? I don't really want to stay here…" Kazu murmured the question softly, as if the opposing team could hear them right at the moment – which well, they probably could – and he scanned the area with a swift sweep of his eyes. And because even though it didn't make sense, Kazu hadn't gotten any threats when he was at Ikki's; he had actually felt safe. But of course, that was stupid to find comfort in – even if the team hadn't specifically left a note there, it was clear that they knew where Kazu was at all times, clear that they could get to him no matter where he was.

So, might as well go to the one place where the false security was as much as he could get.

"…yeah, let's get going."

* * *

"So Kazu," Ikki said shortly, voice surprisingly loud when it broke through the silence. "Where's Chiwa then?"

The blonde blinked, startled. "He's staying at the Adachis' place – I had to have someone to feed him while we were on the field trip and I didn't think I should go and get him until I was back to staying at my place…" He resisted the urge to let his eyes wander back to the pavement beneath his ATs, instead keeping his eyes on the Crow. "You know, you don't need to change the subject."

Because it was obvious, really. As random as the Crow could be, he wasn't normally that random during this kind of moment. It was a kind thought, but…it wasn't doing much either. "Thanks, though," Kazu added, allowing his eyes to fall comfortably back to their place of trailing along the pavement with his wheels.

"…I don't know what you're talking about," Ikki retorted, nose held high in a sharp contrast. It was an obvious bluff, but Kazu held his tongue. "I was just thinking that we should go visit him or something. The little thing probably misses you."

"Hey, don't pick on him just 'cause he's small," Kazu shot back, lurching at Ikki suddenly. "See look," he growled, tugging the Crow into a swift headlock in seconds. "I'm smaller than you and can still kick your ass. Literally," he added as he shot a swift kick towards the other boy's backside.

"Tch, damnit, Kazu get off," Ikki cursed and lost his balance, the two boys tumbling to the ground. Kazu received a rather cold glare for a few moments before Ikki burst out laughing. "Dork."

"What? What the hell did I do? You're the one who's laughing at yourself falling over." Ikki raised his eyebrows in response before Kazu noticed just what he had meant. Somehow during their tumble to the ground, Ikki had ended up sitting cross-legged with Kazu in the gap of his legs, right arm still hooked around the Crow's neck. "…damn."

Ikki snorted in laughter before he stood up, arm snaking around Kazu's middle so that he could set the blonde upright in the process. "Gettin' a little touchy there, aren't we?"

"Shut up." The blonde was blushing furiously, tugging himself out of Ikki's grasp as soon as he had regained his balance. But the Crow just wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hey, who said I was done?"

"Shut up, Ikki, that's not funny."

"Did I say it was?" Ikki grinned, cocky as hell, and put his arm back around Kazu's waist, holding him close in an unbreakable grip.

"Ikki…?" Kazu peeked up at the older boy from the corner of his eye – as soon as he had checked that the roads around them were empty, of course – and flinched. The cocky little smirk had disappeared and the dark brown – nearly maroon, actually – eyes were dead serious, and his arm around the smaller boy was firm and close.

As if Kazu was breakable, fragile, and needed to be held together.

As if Ikki wouldn't let him go, ever.

* * *

Emiri pressed the small phone to her ear, the heat of her blushing face making the phone's temperature increase immediately. "H-hello??" She bit her lip, trying to force the stutter out of her voice, but really, a spontaneous call from her Kazu-sama? It flustered the hell out of the girl.

"Hey, Adachi? Would you mind if I came over sometime? I need to drop off more food for Chiwa."

Okay, well no matter how excited or flustered that Emiri had allowed herself to become, her curiosity was perked. "Huh? Aren't you going to come and pick him up since we're back from the trip?"

"Ah, well…" She heard a small scuffling sound from the background in the phone and then a disgruntled sound coming through…was that Ikki? "Well uhm, the Noyamano's…you remember Rika-san, right? She was insisting that I stay over for a while since my sister was gone and since she was back in town…" He paused. "She said I'd need some sisterly influence or some crap like that."

"Oh." Emiri blinked. Why do I feel like he's lying…? "Well that's nice of her I guess. But you'll let me know when you are picking him up again, right?"

"Yeah sure…I'll be there tomorrow morning, 'kay? Have you got enough for him until then?"

"Ah, yeah, of course!"

A soft sigh of relief reached the girl's ear through the receiver. "Kay, later," he mumbled, voice audibly less tense than it was mere seconds ago. "…and thanks."

"Mmhmm." The girl monitored her hum of assent, keeping her voice low while she attempted to put in the warm reassuring tone that she was aiming for. Because Kazu had – for the first time in days, she'd noticed – sounded somewhat less stressed, somewhat content. And because really, maybe she was a little exuberant at times, but she really did like the speed rider as something more than just an idol, contrary to what the other girls seemed to believe, and she really did want him to be happy.

And if she could help with this, why not? Emiri's mind wandered as she pressed the small red end button on her phone, and the other hand's fingers habitually made their way to trail along the thin chain that encircled her wrist. Sure, it felt silly that she still wore it – because really, could such an insignificant little crystal like that do anything – but when her fingers met the small clasp, her face burned redder.

Sure, she didn't really believe in magic stones on bracelets, but that didn't mean she was ready to through away anything that showed that her crush had noticed something about her aside from AT for more than a split second.

* * *

After the ten or so minute trip back to the Noyamano household, Ikki finally relinquished his hold on the blonde's waist, though Kazu still caught the swift 360° sweep that the Crow's eyes stole before they hurried into the house.

Should it have surprised Kazu that as soon as the two boys entered the house, their unspoken link made the compulsion to go straight to the older boy's room and lock the window mutual without the need for words? Should it have surprised him that they both peeked into every one of the small living space's rooms to make sure that every other alternative entrance was sealed as well before they took tabs on every one of the girls – Akito included – in front of the TV? Should it have surprised him that there was an irresistible sense of relief that overtook the better side of him when they realized that they were secure as possible and that everyone was safe and accounted for?

Should it have surprised him that Ikki had kept their fingers laced tight the entire time?

"Ikki?" Kazu finally muttered out the Crow's name, eyes trailing over the newfound expression of Ikki's; the mahogany eyes had never looked like that before. Sure, he'd been down before, hurt, depressed, but never had they been so hesitant, so paranoid. When the dark eyes weren't scanning the rooms – or now that they were back in the boy's room, the windows – they were dull and muted, and frequently focused on Kazu, as if the blonde could disappear at any moment. His firm grip on the slighter hand in his was sure proof of that fear.

"Mm?"

"I'm uhm…" The blonde paused as a fresh wave of remorse washed over him. "I'm so sorry." What had begun as a lame-feeling attempt to grasp at Ikki's attention had turned into a guilt wrenched apology.

For a moment Ikki's eyes changed, confusion sweeping over the dull glazed look that had been increasing in them for the past few days.

"What for?"

"For this," Kazu mumbled, voice thick in guilt. "For bringing all of this shit down on you too…!" If you hadn't been involved, if I hadn't shown you the notes…Ikki, you would be safe." Kazu cringed as his own thoughts, his own realizations returning as his exhausted mind ran wild. "If anyone got hurt, and…!"

He froze when the warm fingers that were pressed into the dips between his knuckles disappeared, only to be swiftly replaced on his skin as Ikki cupped the Jet's face with both hands, thumbs on his cheeks, and the rest of his fingers along the back of his lower jawbone.

"What did I just tell you back there?" Ikki growled out the question, voice rather harsh, but the dark eyes held no rage or frustration, they only radiated an intensity that made Kazu flinch.

"But…!"

"Shut up, none of that," Ikki scolded, the fingers that were cradling the blonde's face only a half-foot or so away from his own pressing gently into the boy's skin. "You know me well enough that you should know how weird it is for me to talk like this to someone, all reassuring and shit." He moved his thumbs smoothly across Kazu's cheeks and the blonde was surprised to feel moisture being swept across his skin as well. He blinked in confusion, only to find more fall onto his cheeks – tears?

"And I know you well enough to know that you're better than this; stronger than this," Ikki continued. Kazu swallowed and tried to open his mouth and respond, but apparently Ikki wasn't finished; "And don't you even dare to ever get jealous of Ringo or some girl like that," he added, eyebrow's angled firmly downward. "Because I'm not so gay that I would go around screwing around with a guy like this unless I was completely set on him."

And though Ikki had finally finished talking, the other boy remained silent. He wasn't sure whether it was due to the fact that Ikki had stunned him shitless and that he couldn't find the words to respond, or whether it was due to the unidentified heart-wrenching feeling that had taken over the Jet's entire being, but either way, Kazu was speechless.

"C'mon," Ikki muttered. "Let's get your ass in bed, you need sleep, you're still getting better." The Crow removed his hands from Kazu's face but the blonde frowned slightly.

"Kay," he mumbled in response, "but I'm going to take a shower and all first." He clenched his eyes shut and tugged his hat off, running his fingers through his hair. "I feel gross, after seeing that much blood." Ikki made a face before nodding in agreement.

"Sounds about right," he said shortly, following Kazu back out of the Crow's room. "Mind if I use the toilet first?"

* * *

"Hey, Ik-…?" Kazu opened that bathroom door, only to find that the door came at him with much too much force; the brunette had been leaning on the door, dozing apparently, and luckily Kazu hadn't opened the door fully or the Crow would have been fully sprawled across the bathroom floor at that point.

"Ah, sorry," the Crow mumbled. "I planned on moving once you turned off the water, but uh…apparently I missed that."

"C'mon, let's go to bed," Kazu sighed, helping the Crow up by tugging on his arm and pulling.

"Yeah," Ikki responded, following the blonde into his own room before Kazu frowned.

"You put up the cot."

"Yes."

"…Damn it, Ikki, Akito's going to be in here later, you know that…" Kazu didn't even have to ask – the Crow was obviously planning on holding Kazu the entire night, or so he assumed.

"Fuck him," the Crow mumbled, eyes dull again as he tossed Kazu onto the bed without hesitation, and proceeded to follow close behind, crawling into the gap between Kazu and the wall and tugging the smaller boy close to his chest, nose burying into the still wet and fragrant locks of hair.

"Ah, Ikki…" Kazu pursed his lips in thought before giving up. As if he could convince the stubborn boy otherwise. "Just don't try anything funny while I'm asleep," he muttered.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Crow chuckled dryly. "Though it'd be funny if _you_ dreamt of it."

"Ass."

* * *

And then it was morning. Maybe time was moving so fast because it had been moving so slowly during the trip, during those moments of fear, and it was trying to make up for lost space, or maybe it was because the world had a _thing_ against the blonde feeling safe, but it was as if the blonde had blinked, and it was morning.

"Mm, Ikki?" Kazu was somewhat put off to see that the Crow was still in the exact same position as he was in the seven or so hours that Kazu had spent asleep, but what was more disconcerting was that his eyes were half-lidded and already open when Kazu tilted his head up to peer up at the boy's face above him.

"G'morning."

"You didn't…did you _sleep_?"

"Doesn't matter," Ikki said, words slurred with exhaustion. "I didn't sleep much the other night either, and lasted just fine," he pointed out, but Kazu launched a swift hit to the boy's hair-spiked forehead with the heel of his hand.

"That makes it _worse_ you asshole, you need sleep too."

Ikki snorted. "I'm the legendary Itsuki-sama, I can do what I want and sleep when I want. Hell, gods don't even _need_ sleep." He shook his head quickly and blinked hard twice as Kazu rolled out of the bed until he was standing. And though it hurt for him to admit it, the extra sleep that he had been getting an account of the cold that he had picked up from Kitsune also seemed to be helping with the recovery of the wound on his ankle – he was able to bounce slightly on his injured leg again with little pain, at least. "There, see?" Ikki said, after a moment more of heavy blinking. "Eyes are perfectly wide open."

"Dork, let's just go pick up some food for my dog."

The problem was, as soon as Kazu had let go of Ikki's hand to enter the girl's house and drop off the container of food for his tiny dog, the sooner he was to regret letting him go.

* * *

"Uhm...hey, Kazu-sama's not there, is he? He dropped his hat and must have left it."

There was silence on the other end of the phone and Emiri waiting, growing worried as the seconds passed; Ikki wasn't really the silent and broody type unless in deep thought...and what was so striking about losing a hat? Sure it was Kazu's hat, but really, he could have ran and dropped it, right? The girl pressed the phone closer to her ear, and forced out a small "hello? Nothing's wro-"

"Adachi, is there anything else there? Anything that wasn't there before Kazu came?" The Crow cut her off, voice urgent.

"Uhm..." Emiri trailed off, eyes scanning the area as she heard a small scuffling noise from the phone that was now smashed up against her ear. Is he...putting hit ATs on? "Wait..." A spot of red caught the female stormrider's eyes. "No..."

"Adachi?" Ikki asked sharply, voice intent. After just a short moment's pause and not nearly even enough time for her to reply he barked into the phone again; "fuck, what is it?"

"I think...I think that's blood on the ground."

Without another word there came the click of the call disconnecting, followed by the dull tone of the dead line.


	14. Of Course

**A/N:** Uhhhhhhhhhhhh hey there. Fffffff can I start off with an apology, boys and girls? I've been so busy and having no motivation to write kind of...takes it out of the story, huh? Dx I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter but I have parts I kind of like for once and I'm kind of fond of bits of it, but otherwise...it's nothing special. DDDx Ugh ugh ugh, I'm so sorry. HOWEVER:

I'm totally trying to whip out another one-shot, for a certain holiday coming up. So _let me know if you guys are with me, okay_? I've been gone for a long time and I dunno how many people still read this, but! It's be really really nice if you'd even just drop a word to let me know if you're reading~ IT'S ALL I ASKKKK.

But as far as this chapter is concerned - thank a certain **Crimson Vixen** for kicking my lazy ass into writing this in a rather non-ass kicking way.

Gaaaaw I'd love to reply to each and every one of your reviews, but I'm short on time and nooooot really supposed to be on the computer right now, so I'm rushing! But to those who did and are still here **I love love love love and adore anyone who's still reading this, especially my reviewers**, and I'll do my best to update soon because I kindddddd of left another cliffhanger.

**P.S. - I keep forgetting how much fun it is to talk to anyone who loves Ikkazu!** Anybody who wants to talk to me about anyyyything or ect should **PM me** and let me add you on MSN!!! -loves- I'm not going to post it on here because I hate how handles addresses and such, but! Let me know~

Loves to my loves, you know who you two are. AND LOVES TO RILO IF YOU READ. Heeheeeee.

I'll let you get to it. Dx - Masi - I PROMISE THE GOOD STUFF'S COMING, YOU CAN FEEEEL IT IN YOUR TOES.

* * *

Of course. The _one_ time that time had to freeze, come to a complete halt, it _had_ to be when the world was on the verge of being crushed.

Because they'd gotten him. They'd gotten Kazu, and for some reason that Ikki was still unable – or unwilling – to pinpoint, that was all that Ikki cared about. Nothing had occupied his thoughts like Kazu did now, not since Ikki's discovery of the cause of the issue itself: Air Trek.

And now, he was willing to give it up. Give up his wings, if it could help him get to Kazu. But the problem was, he _needed_ the god damned things now more than ever. He needed to get his ass back to the Jet and get him _back_. Because he needed him too.

Ikki growled and pushed his feet harder, lungs already burning with the cold air and pressure, thighs straining to put as much strength into those fucking wheels as they could, heart pounding at a speed that he hadn't known was possible.

He ignored the side stitch that was quickly developing from his lack of drawing enough breath.

He ignored his burning eyes that were watering perhaps a bit more than they should have been.

He ignored the constant ringing of his phone from the anxious girl that he had hung up on, and her now equally anxious friend that she had immediately alerted as soon as she had gotten the monotonous tone of the dead line.

* * *

"Kazu-sama"

"Ikki"

"Blood"

"Missing"

"Upset"

"_What's going on?_"

Ringo's heart skipped a beat when Emiri's scattered stream of words started sounding less and less coherent, but started making more and more sense. She'd called in a frantic worry; Ikki had called, interrogated her about Kazu's location, sworn loudly over a drop of blood, and then hung up on her just as she got anxious.

So she had called Ringo for answers. Answers to questions that neither she nor Ringo even knew, let alone understood the gravity of.

Because even though Ringo could guess at pieces, make assumptions from the few details she knew…there were still no answers, just those intangible questions dangling in front of the girls' eyes. She had no idea what was going on.

But did she have to be helpless?

Ringo's eyes widened and she dropped her cell, the small plastic phone snapping shut after the start of Ikki's voicemail began in his bored drawl for the umpteenth time that day. She dove towards her clothing drawer and plunged her hands into the mess of clothing, needy fingers searching through.

Was it a bad idea? Possibly.

Dangerous? Probably.

Selfish? Positive.

Yet as soon as her fingers brushed against the smoother texture of the stolen school swimsuit and it's companions, she hastily pulled out the costume, shaking the stiff old wig back into shape and tossing the cape and suit onto her floor, then grabbed her ATs and the feathered hat from the closet – because Ikki was gone too, along with Kazu. Probably chasing after the other boy at the moment, actually. She didn't bother to lock the door as she hastily stripped down to get changed – because Ikki was gone. The girl bit her lip, teeth kneading at the soft skin in anxiety, because the thought of a team like that, against just two young stormriders…

Hell, they'd already tried to kill Ikki and co one time already, hadn't they? Emiri couldn't have been exaggerating about that when the signs were actually _there_.

"Ringo-chan? Why're you dressing up like that?" Ringo startled at the sudden voice as a small blue-haired head poked around the corner, eye wide. "What's happened?"

Because of _course_ the kid had to poke his head in while she was only half covered by the swimsuit. She blushed furiously, struggling to pull the top of the suit high enough to cover her exposed chest as Akito [innocently?] trotted into the room.

Because of _course_, not even her _preparation_ for the rescue could go smoothly. It wasn't a good start.

"I-I'm just…" she stuttered as she shoved her right arm under the last strap of the suit – he _was_ gay, right? – and grabbed hastily at the cape that was laying at her feet. _I need a good excuse, believable_…she ran over every possible escape route in her mind as she fastened the neck buckle and messily gathered her hair in one hand, slapping the wig and the hat on top with the other.

But before she could even try to fake up a good excuse, a different voice spoke from the doorway – one of the same vocal cords, but a harsher, unhappier tone – "Where are you going? And what the hell has that fucking Crow gotten himself into now?" The Fang King's spoke as if even mentioning Ikki in any name left a bad taste in his mouth.

Because of _course_, Agito knew when the costume when used – the Shark's senses were infallible. But what now? She didn't _need_ him, she was the _Thorn Queen_ for god's sake. It was just a waste of time. So she shot him a glance as she slipped her feet into her ATs – full of the things that there was no time to word; "I'm going alone, let it go, I'll be enough," – before she launched herself out the small window, silhouetted against the light that was only just still rising over the buildings.

* * *

_Impossible_. This was _hard_. The Crow gasped again and desperately kicked at the ground harder, leaning forward and hardly allowing the wheels any time to motor him forward before he took another stride. He had _never_ run this hard in his life – not to race against Sabel Tiger, to keep his territory; not to catch a falling girl, his lifelong friend, Ringo, as she fell from exhaustion of a race with Ikki – but this was different.

Because in those instances, he knew he could make it.

And what if he couldn't make it this time? What if he was too late, what if Kazu had been…Ikki gnawed on his inner cheek and tried to suppress the shudder that ran down his spine.

He would make it in time. He had to. Even if he was so fucking exhausted, mentally and physically. Even if his vision was becoming dark and spotted, and his strides were getting messy, sloppy, the Crow swerving when he should have been heading in a straight, efficient line.

When was the last time he has slept for more than an hour or a quick doze? A day? Two days? Wasn't it around 50 hours? Ikki couldn't even pull his consciousness up enough to even think about that, even try and do the math.

Because his mind was set on Kazu. Because that was all that mattered, getting Kazu _back_. But why wasn't it _easier_? He wasn't being chased, he didn't have to take any circuitous routes, didn't have to pull any quick improvisations to cover a gap or flip out of sight; he just needed to run.

_Need to go faster, and get Kazu back, safe._ His eyebrows furrowed further, teeth clenching tight in a failing attempt to suppress the massive pounding behind his eyes.

_Need to push harder_. Ikki urged his legs to go forward in each stride, cursing at the effort and making a mental note to punish his legs after this with more workouts for feeling so fucking sluggish.

_Need to GO_. He kicked back on his right foot with his hardest effort yet and leant forward in anticipation, in _hope_, but of course, of _course_, his weakened legs weren't strong enough to continue the transfer in balance, and instead, out of pure spite for the strain he had been causing them, let him crash land onto the hard pavement beneath him. He bit his tongue, _hard_, and spat out a mouthful of blood as all of his momentum was thrown onto his hips and arms, disheveled shirt revealing skin to be burnt and torn along with the fabric of his jacket and pants as well.

And as he only just narrowly avoided even more injury by straightening his lower and leaning back, hoping to escape without a fracture of any sort on instinct, he let out an audible wince, a cry of defeat.

Because as his eyes clenched shut in pain and exhaustion upon impact, and just _wouldn't open back up_, Ikki could only think of two words, only grasp at the concept of two things.

Kazu.

And failure.

* * *

_This isn't the time_, she found herself thinking, wheels swift to take her off of one rooftop onto the next, not bothering to notice if the shingles beneath her ATs were disheveled in the process. _This isn't the _time_ for this._

But as much as Ringo fought to repress the thoughts that she'd somehow kept at bay for days, she couldn't help it. The wall broke loose as she chased after the Crow himself.

Who was chasing after Kazu – the boy he'd kissed.

Did it make sense to her? No. Did she want to think about it, especially as she raced to possibly, hopefully, save the two boys in question? No. But could she get her mind off of it?

Of course not. But it was just so _bizarre_ to her – there she was, throughout all of her years, trying to figure out how _she_ felt about the guy, and watching who and what he showed an interest in; a pretty face, large tits, a tight ass, and just that hint of unreachability. Like Simca, the older girl's body, curves, and age difference providing the perfect thrill for the boy.

Or so she'd thought. Until he'd gone and straddled and kissed a younger, flat-chested, always within his reach, _guy_.

Oh how wrong she'd been. And she even had once thought she had a chance.

Ringo bit her lip, attempting to suppress the urge to spit bitterly at the revelation. All that she was doing was getting distracted. She needed to focus on Ikki, focus on catching up to the boy who had an enormous head start, and whose location wasn't even pinpointed.

Focus on the boy who held a striking resemblance to the one laying on the ground about ten something feet on the road behind her.

"Ikki!" Ringo cried his name without even thinking, legs struggling to stop all of her forward movement, wheels shooting pieces of roof every which way as she skidded to a stop before back tracking down to street level. Her breath hitched when she got within reach of the still, silent Crow, fingers shaking as she searched for a pulse, pressing gently against the boy's clammy neck.

She exhaled – it was there. His pulse was slow, soft, but steady and sure like the Crow himself. But what had happened? Ringo rolled Ikki fully onto his back, eyes widening in fear as she realized how he had gotten on the ground in the first place. His entire right side was torn or burnt thin, with dirt and gravel embedded in his exposed, raw skin on his hips, leg, and forearm. The Crow made little reaction to the movement though, his eyes staying lightly shut and his expression calm for the first time that Ringo had noticed for days. She watched him for a moment in contemplation before lowering her face to his, lips pressing against his finally smooth forehead, the skin no longer marred with the line of worry or frustration.

Because she knew that his lips were for someone else at this point.

And what to do next? She _could_ try and wake him up, let him run off by himself and get into danger for the sake of Kazu. She _could_ gentle him and keep him safe and warm until he woke up of his own accord and then bear with the fury of the Crow when he realized what she had done, letting him stay like this when Kazu was in danger.

Or she could leave him here, and rescue Kazu on her own. Hadn't she just told Agito that she was enough? Ringo, the Crazy Apple, leader of Sleeping Forest, not enough to take a team of men and a psychotic chick of a leader? Hell, she could have taken that Skull-something team by herself if Mikan and Ume hadn't been informed as well.

So that was it then. She'd go alone, knock some people out, teach them a lesson, and grab the bait before Ikki could even get close. She tugged off her thin jacket and gently lifted Ikki's head off of the pavement, padding the ground with the cotton fabric before setting the dark spiked head down again.

"Agito," she called softly, turning around and finally acknowledging the strong aura that had been following her since she'd left the room.

"Fuck." He dropped down from the window ledge in the alley to the left, landing on two others before hopping gently onto the pavement beside Ringo and Ikki. However, before he could even get a word out, the girl quickly took the eye patch over the Shark's eye and moved it to the right.

"Watch him," she commanded, not even bothering to gesture at the unconscious boy on the ground, or even explain why. There wasn't any time.

"But why do I have to watch Ikki-kun?" Akito mewled in protest, eye wide. "Agito keep saying he wants to go after the beanpole too, since he's bored and he doesn't like them since they tied us all up."

"You have to stay here because Ikki's their target. Kazu's just the bait," Ringo snapped, not caring to voice any sympathy, gears already turning in her mind and ATs as she turned to leave. "_Keep him safe._" She sped off, feeling the distance between her and Ikki expand and the worried stare on her back the entire time. But really, if Agito had accompanied her, the blood bath would have just stalled the process.

And as selfish as it sounded, as selfish as it felt and _was_…she wanted Ikki to be grateful towards only her.

And if Kazu was grateful to her too, it couldn't hurt. She frowned, attempting to stop questioning her own morals as she headed towards her destination. She knew where it was and how to get there – she'd been to the empty lot before, once with Emiri, just because the newer rider had been so eager to show Ringo where her Kazu-sama had sacrificed himself to save her; and many times before that as well, in attempts to find a good practice spot, before she and the girls had even opened the door for Ikki into the world of AT. In modest terms, she knew the area like the back of her hand – the size of the window ledges of the long abandoned apartments, now littered with the shattered glass of time and an explosion; the sizes and shapes of the many potholes and lumps on the rough pavement; even the size and texture of the bricks that lined the lot.

Did she have a reason to be so nervous? A reason to feel that worried? She tried to convince herself that she was being stupid as she tucked her legs quickly beneath her, feet passing over the top of a much taller than average fence.

A tall fence that she wasn't sure if she was ready to see behind her yet. Because she knew full well what this fence bordered, why the area was littered with debris and had the strong tinge of gun powder and blood. As she touched her feet to the northernmost wall before pressing off again to the other side, trying to slow her descent, she hesitated.

When would she get the chance to climb back up? The girl set her jaw and shot herself into the gap between the buildings, desperately searching below her this time as she headed to the other wall, searching for the only thing that could make Ikki happy right now; because that was what mattered.

Searching for the boy that was tied by a thick cord to one of the lot's fences, wrists bound in a similar fashion, and mouth gagged by a thick piece of cloth wrapped from his mouth to the knot at the base of his neck.

And even though he was _right there_, dull eyes unfocused and pained, staring at the ground with little expression other than one of agony and not even acknowledging the appearance of another in the area, she couldn't reach him. Because somehow she had stopped moving, immobilized in mid air, caught in an invisible web.

Ringo was stunned, held frozen by tens of tiny filaments pressing into her body with surprising strength. How had she not anticipated, not _seen_ the thousands of fibers weaving through the chasm? Because now that she actually _looked_, the sunlight gleaming off of the transparent threads was painfully obvious.

As she waited for her predator to come for her she pressed herself every which way, trying to force out a limb, hand, _anything_, but only allowing herself to struggle for a few moments before realizing that she was stuck in everyway possible. Moving anymore was just a useless exertion of energy. Her eyes wandered downwards, trying to avoid the now blinding glare off of the clear threads, disgusted with herself for not seeing them before, just because she'd been looking for Kazu.

"Kazu."

As if her words switched something on inside the blonde, Kazu's chest visibly restricted and he jolted forward an inch or so, quivering.

"Ik-…" His eyes dragged up through the forest of threads before his eyes finally stopped with a painful jerk on Ringo.

Because she wasn't him.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

The soft pitter-patter of droplets on the ground.

The thick scent of wet pavement clogging and burning airways.

The body chilling splatter of icy water on every inch of skin within its reach.

And the horrible realization that everything important, everything worth running for, everything known to be that funny little word – "wanted" – was missing.

* * *

**END NOTE:** Please let me know if any of you didn't understand the ending? QnQ


	15. Grit

**A/N:** So I have to admit. There's a lot of stuff that I don't like about this fic. Some of the names make me feel like I'm a kid again, and some of the phrases I've used don't feel coherent. I feel like I've evolved as an author and like this doesn't represent me anymore. But you know what? I feel like enough people have read this that it deserves to get finished. And I've done a lot of stuff to these poor boys that they deserve a happy ending out of it. So I am going to finish! IT IS MY DUTY AS AN AUTHOR.

I'd really encourage all of you to read again from the beginning, as I did before working on finishing this chapter, so that you're all up to speed again with me. It's been what, like 2 years plus some? Let me know if you do WHEN YOU REVIEW. PLEASE REVIEW. D8

I can't apologize enough, but I hope I'm a better writer and that my hopefully improved story telling can help me beg for forgiveness - or at least make you all a little bit happier with me. I've also uploaded a few one-shots since I've updated this, so if any of you are only following this story, it's be much appreciated if you'd all check those out and review as well.

I don't want to beg for reviews, but it is the best reward an author can get, and even though I don't reply to them with PMs, it's so so wonderful to see those emails in my inbox telling me I got a review. Thanks for all the support, guys. I just hope this is worth it! Nothing can be worth the wait I've put you all through but I hope this comes as close as possible.

SO MUCH LOVE – Masi

**IMPORTANT: In regards to last chapter I had a lot of people being like "YEAH MASI, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING. For those who didn't understand, that was from Ikki's point of view as he fell unconscious. Oh, and it started raining. That too. The gap in thought with the Ringo bit in between might have been too confusing. Sorry if you didn't understand, I hope this clears that up! **

**Also the last "I'm sorry" was spoken by Ringo. I also wanna apologize if you guys notice any honorific inconsistencies – it's been a while. D8**

[Reading through a few of my author comments from before. I AM SORRY I WAS SUCH A DOOF.]

Kazu's eyes drifted downwards again once Ringo had been retrieved from the web; Chibatsu had appeared through those shattered and broken apartment windows that surrounded the lot, clambering out clumsily and sliding themselves across the clear wires before roughly plucking Ringo out of the mess.

Because they needed to keep it intact for the one they had been waiting for.

Ringo's vehement protests continued even as she was on the ground and after the men of the group had stopped smirking and chuckling at her skimpy get-up, grimy fingers skimming over her thighs as they tied her up and brought her down. Kazu knew it was her, the wig and hat fell off as soon as she had hit the wires in the air; he couldn't say it surprised him, either.

"Get off of…! Nnh, damn…I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ringo cried out angrily. The blonde picked up on a few more of her words snarled at the offenders, but he didn't bother looking back up until he heard his name being repeated after a few minutes.

"Kazu…_Kazu_, hey." Kazu looked over to the left, ashamed to look Ringo in the eyes. Because it was obvious; even though he _knew_ that Ringo had come to prevent Ikki from doing so – not that he knew how she had convinced him to let her go in his stead – he still wished Ikki _had_ come. Because it wasn't the same; the girl who loved Ikki fetching Kazu for _Ikki's_ sake couldn't possibly compare to _Ikki_ showing up for _Kazu's_ sake.

The Jet shook his head – his thoughts were getting boggled and repetitive – only to regret it immediately after his head started spinning in time with the stars blinking in and out of his vision.

"Kazu! Are you okay?"

And there it was again, that voice that he didn't need. The blonde dragged his gaze back to that damned Crazy Apple and raised his eyebrows. _I'm gagged, remember?_

_Wait a minute__._ Kazu lurched forward at the unknown contact of the thick fingers at the back of his neck, only to find the pressure of the cloth gag being removed after a few rough attempts at loosening the knot and a concluding jerk.

"Finally decide you'd missed my voice?" His voice was harsh from the disuse and pain, not to mention suppressing the incredible urge to strangle each and every one of the bastards for starting this.

For putting Ikki up to this.

"No," came the curt reply. "I just wanted to hear these two rivals in love talk." Kazu felt his body tense up in rage as Hatsuko's voice floated down from the window which she was sticking her greasy black-haired head out of. "Don't mind me or my boys, we're just _bystanders_."

"Ah, so I have my own personal gang of stalkers now? How cute." _Keep it up,_ he thought, _keep it up until…until something changes._

"Talk," the woman commanded, pulling a gun out of who knows where, pointing it at the two teens and resting her head on her other arm. "And not to me, to her. My boys have to fetch something, so keep me entertained until then."

"How does it feel to have to share a boyfriend?"

The two teens looks up at the woman with contempt-filled gazes.

She cocked the hammer of the gun with a click.

Ringo swallowed audibly, and Kazu spoke softly, voice still cracking and dry. "Hey, Ringo."

"Yeah."

"Where is he?"

She paused, voice soft when she replied; "He's not coming. I'm sorry."

The blonde felt the intensifying urge to vomit but took a deep inhale. Ikki was safe, at least. Right? Kazu looked over at the girl, her eyes refusing to leave Hatsuko and therefore kept off of him. Somehow it made speaking to her easier; "I er…I'm sorry about uh…how you found out."

She let out a noise of assent. Kazu bit his lower lip, looking down again when she didn't have much to say in response. He knew it; she had no interest in an apology from the boy who'd maybe ruined her chanced. Ringo had had a chance, right?

Kazu's face scrunched into a frown, but their short attempt at a conversation was luckily cut short. _No, _Kazu thought, flinching as the new arrival landed immediately in front of the boy; _I don't think this was lucky._

Akito chewed on his bottom lip lightly, looking away from Ikki's unconscious form for the first time since Ringo had ran out of sight. The boy looked around him in every direction, worried that somehow the Crazy Apple's crazy plan might not work. Sure, he knew that Agito even acknowledged the girl as a very skilled rider and tactician, but there was a limit to what people could do, especially when potentially being squared up again multiple opponents. He shifted a little, peering down at Ikki with his uncovered eye and frowned slightly.

It surely couldn't be good for Ikki to lay there in the rain like that; even if it was just started in rain, the pace and amount were increasing fast enough that is was soon to be dumping torrents on the two boys. Ringo had told him not to wake him up, sure. But could he move him? He wasn't going to intentionally wake him up, but what about an action that could potentially wake him?

If it was for Ikki's sake, it was okay, right?

The smaller boy moved around Ikki a few times, circling in confusion like a puppy trying to lay down. When he finally determined that he should move Ikki from the boy's left side, since it looked like he could grab him while bumping against and harming the least amount of the boy's injuries, he curled his arm under him.

_Hey, Agito_, Akito thought to his mind-bound companion.

_Yeah. _Even though Agito and his thoughts were so intertwined that sometimes he couldn't feel the difference, he could still feel the unspoken urge to go help their mutual team mate alongside Ringo in Ikki's stead.

_Are we doing the right thing? _Akito scrunched his face into a strained frown as he lifted as hard as he could, legs providing plenty of support, but upper body largely lacking.

_Define right._

_Should we go after him?_ _Or wake Ikki up? _Akito moved Ikki slowly and moved him over to sit up limply, leaning the boy under an overhang of a roof that protruded into the alleyway. It wasn't even past midday, but the heavy storm clouds were providing an ominous enough cover for the day to pass as night.

_Well leaving the bastard here isn't going to help at all, and…I think you already did wake him._

Akito jolted slightly when he heard Ikki groan quietly, eye lids twitching with awareness and the small boy gasped. "I-Ikki-kun, I'm sorry! I didn't…"

"N-no I needed…I needed to wake up," he groaned again, right hand pressing against his friction burn but immediately retracting from the spot. Akito whimpered lightly at the sight.

"But Ringo, she…"

"She what?" Ikki was suddenly sitting straight up, back prone and eyes wide.

Akito shuffled his feet. "She told me to keep you safe and not to wake you."

"Did she go after Kazu?"

"Yeah."

Ikki got up suddenly, shakey on his feet and tore off, skates unstable and movements hesitant.

"Ikki-kun!" Akito chased after him for a moment before switching his eyepatch over; at least he could send Agito after him.

"So." The Storm Rider that had returned skated short arcs around the two teens.

Ringo snarled, still struggling against the bonds to the fence while Kazu just eyed the situation. Their leader, Hatsuko, had hopped down from the window, landing gracefully in a way that made the blonde's blood boil. She wasn't even a good skater, there was no way…

He felt a blow to the side of his skull and gasped. He had let his eyes off of the newcomer and allowed them to take a swing at his head with their skate.

Honestly it was all getting extremely dizzying.

"Kazu!" Ringo was scuffling around beside him, trying to get him to respond. He ignored her, possibly against his better judgment and turned on the other team, eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed.

"What the fuck's your problem? I thought you wanted to be Sky King." Kazu's mistreated voice was trying to betray him but he reigned it in. "How the fuck does hurting people like this help?"

"Officiality doesn't eliminate the problem," Hatsuko responded, moving forward to face the boy within a few inches.

"Tch." Kazu spat at the woman's chest, avoiding her face out of his own morals – he didn't think he's appreciate himself degrading to her level.

Her face turning red to match her fingernail polish, Hatsuko looked as though she had to mute her rage and keep her calm. As if Kazu and Ringo could actually be intimidated by her weakened façade. The woman held out her hand to the newcomer gesturing for him to hand her the…whatever he had gone to fetch.

She brought her hand around and revealed a tiny bottle, shaking the contents around in front of the boy's face. "Fever pills."

"What?" Ringo's voice beside him sounded shakey. Everything she said, every word she spoke sounded shaken and unsure. Wasn't she supposed to be the famous queen of Sleeping Forest? The Thorn Queen?

Sure, she had an excuse. She was rendered utterly useless when tied to a fence, yeah, but Ikki had kept fighting even when he was tied up and whipped.

He was _whipped_, and he was stronger than Ringo.

Kazu shook his head and tried to clear it. Ikki wasn't here, Ringo said he wasn't going to come. How could they get out? Kazu tugged on his bonds as his attention was snapped back to their opposition.

"Well I mean, we can't have you helping Mr. Itsuki later on," she explained, sneering with a glare that made Kazu's stomach turn with worry. "See, I have to untie you, and I need you to be somewhat…cooperative."

"You're untying both of us?" Ringo asked, worried. Of course, the girl wouldn't want to be wound up in the whole thing, of course not.

"Of course not. Just our little piggy here," she cooed, voice dripping with venom. "Can't have us getting involved in matters with Sleeping Forest, can we…?" Hatsuko knelt down, eyes boring into the girl's and she pressed their foreheads together.

Honestly, Kazu couldn't think of anything to shout at the woman; keeping Ringo out of the fight was honestly not an awful factor to this mess of a situation.

"I'll fight you aside from my team!" Ringo cried, pressing her head back into the fence in an attempt to escape the woman's crazed gaze.

"Can't allow it, sweet cheeks. Now for the piggy."

"Wait!" Ringo's shaking glare followed the woman, and Kazu just watched, keeping his expression as sour as he could. Like he would let them force anything down his throat.

The woman opened the top to the orange bottle with her teeth, the pearly canines in her bite abnormally long. Kazu grit his teeth when the small pills were emptied into her hand; just two, but two that would never pass into his stomach even if he…

Hatsuko reached out and Kazu moved his head forward to bite at the woman's hand, receiving a slap in reward for the attempt. She nodded towards him and two of her stringy cronies skated up and held Kazu still, grabbing him by the cranium and wrenching his head into submission. Hatsuko went for the nose again, her long fingers pinching hard and forcing Kazu to breathe through his mouth after a few excruciating moments.

_I need to be able to help_.

"C'mon, Kazuma." Hatsuko kicked him in the stomach trying to urge a gasp out of the boy so that he'd unclench his teeth. He resisted the gasp that tried to wiggle its way between his teeth, earning him another kick.

"Fuck off," he growled, voice low.

Another kick to the gut, another muttered curse, teeth clenched. Hatsuko was pressing the two pill capsules up against his gritted teeth at this point, waiting for that vital opening.

After a few more moments she had finally had it. Kazu thought he had one the moment that she let go of his nose, but his stomach soon dropped to his stomach when she held her hand up to receive a waterbottle from another one of her underlings.

"And I tried to let you do this the easy way, too." The woman grasped hard at Kazu's nose and wrenched his head back, letting him take the time to open his lips again for air when she started pouring water over his mouth, causing him to choke and splutter. He had managed to use his tongue to block out the water for a moment, but eventually it started seeping in through the gaps that were intended for air. The moment that his mouth opened, Hatsuko had her hand to his lips, the two pills held up against his tongue, and clamping down hard enough to restrict all of Kazu's access to oxygen.

"Chk!" Kazu gagged when he realized there was no choice. He had to stop rejecting the pills of wind up losing consciousness from asphyxiation. And even if he had a fever, he was at least better awake than otherwise. They'd feed him the pills immediately after he lost consciousness anyway…

"Swallow them!" Hatsuko kneed him again in the stomach, causing him to flinch and let the pills deeper into his mouth, the capsules closing the distance to his esophagus.

Kazu tried to well up enough saliva in his mouth to swallow them; when it was a choice between unconsciousness and a fever, he'd at least be able to…

Another blow to the stomach and the pills made their way past his uvula and on their painful way down his throat; Kazu made a face of disgust. Even if he managed to vomit the buggers out of his throat, the woman would most likely force feed them to him again, as awful as that sounded. So he swallowed, swallowed hard, shaking his face to beg for air again.

The hand on his nose was released, and he inhaled sharply and rapidly, panting as heavily as possible to clear the dizzy spirals in his vision. Hatsuko put the bottle of water to Kazu's lips, feeding him water to wash down the pills, but after allowing himself one small gulp he took in a large mouthful of water, his cheeks bulging up. As soon as the woman removed the bottle's mouth from his, he rebelled by spitting all of the water out on the woman's hand, surprised to find that her pressure hadn't been prepared for such an action. He took pleasure in the simple achievement of getting the water out of his mouth and onto the woman. In her moment of shock Kazu opened his mouth, wide, and let her hand slip into his mouth so that he could bite down _hard_.

She let out a cry of pain while Kazu realized that had forgotten one vital piece of information; he was still being held stable by two of her cronies, and his carnal retort was not well received.

The men twisted their fingers into the blonde's hair, furthering the grungy appearance of the normally shining locks. Then they pulled just as hard until Kazu gave in to the pain, causing him to bite into the woman's fingers more. She screamed this time, and the boy finally released his grip when he tasted blood, freeing up his mouth of Hatsuko's fingers so that he could spit her own blood upon her.

"You won't fucking win." He spoke darkly, feeling his eyebrows fall closer to his eyes than they ever had before. If only this was a contest of glares, Kazu's hatred for the woman would surely win.

However, it was not. "Oh, I beg to differ, sweetheart. It seems to me that I've caught the last little piggy on his way home."

"Oh for _fuck's_ sake! Stop with the damned piggy bullshit, it was never scary and made you sound like a fucking dumbass."

Everything froze. Kazu's eyes widened, his heart jolted, and he felt the tension from before change immensely. That voice, that tone. It was unmistakable.

"You!" Hatsuko turned with a cry of triumph and rage when she realized what was happening.

Kazu shut his eyes. Hadn't Ringo said he wasn't…? He wouldn't believe it, he wouldn't get his hopes up. No hero was coming.

"Ikki!" Ringo's cry of shock, of worry and relief was high pitched and ear piercing.

Kazu snapped his eyes open, feeling them tear up for reasons he didn't fully understand. He tore his eyes from the enemy in front of him and swung his gaze to the right, letting his watering eyes fall upon his best friend.

The Storm Rider was standing with his right hand stabilizing him on the wall, with Agito behind him, ATs on a dumpster and his smaller hand clamped on the back of Ikki's collar.

He was burnt, brused, and bleeding, but he was _there_.

Kazu gulped.

"_Ikki_."

* * *

**E/N: Happy Valentines day, loves. I am so sorry that I let this die but I will do my best to revive it. Sorry if it's a little messy but each and everyone of you is worth me restarting this. **

**It's been like 2 and a half years. Aaaaaahha oh no. Dx MASI OUT.**


	16. Venom

**A/N: HAHAHA HI GUYS. GIRLS. GUYS AND GIRLS. **This happened. Again. WHAT THE FUCK MASI, YOU'RE BACK?

I'm kinda back. Because I love you all. Also I love Mr. Grayfox and I missed his birthday by a few days BUT THIS IS for him. So. **Happy birthday, doofus**. –heart-

**FOR **those who don't remember, Sabeltiger is the team that Kogarasumaru fought innnn Volume 5 of the manga, I think. Not sure about the anime, but Ikki and co. just started beating the shit out of them and then got scolded by Ringo for being dicks. Then they raced. Then Kazu was all "JET TIEMZ NAO."

You should like. Follow me on Twitter and stuff. Or something. I'm masifox iffoo want.

Just to remind you all. For a new twist, IF YOUR BIRTHDAY IS ANYTIME SOON, lemme know in a PM or in a review and I can maybe try and make your birthday an update date? If it's reasonable? I DUNNO THIS IS A NEW THING just lemme know I guess.

Good to see some of my old readers back, welcome to the newbies. WHERE ARE MY OLD REVIEWERS? I MISS YOU.

-Love love – Masi

* * *

Ikki pressed his palm against the wall and tasked it with balancing him, allowing his legs to focus on the complex task of actually holding him up. It was working for the moment at least, with Agito's hand on his collar keeping the delicate balance stable. He could put up with his aggressive friend helping him, at least until the damned groggy spell wore off.

_What happened, again_? Ikki found himself racking his brain, trying to remember what the exact events were that led him to his prior spot sitting on his ass. He had heard from Emiri on the phone, and then he left to…

Had he actually passed out? Sure, he hadn't been sleeping well, or well, at all really. And sure, he felt like he was about to puke from pure exhaustion, but he couldn't bring himself to give those credit as viable reasons.

It would only make him feel weaker.

"Listen up!" Ikki yelled, trying to pull all the loathing and hatred that he felt towards the woman into his voice; "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Clearing a path," Hatsuko responded, sneering like a fox. Like she thought she had won.

"Wrong!" Ikki's breath felt thin as it left his lungs. "You're pissing me off!" His fingers curled in to press harder and grip into the pores of the red bricks. His legs shook and he cursed at them in his head, willing them to keep still. "And do you know who I am?"

Hatsuko's sneer faltered. He got to her. "Simca's doomed prodigy?" Her smirk returned and she began to move towards Kazu, opening her mouth to speak again.

Well that wouldn't do. "Nope!" Ikki yelled. "I'm the Emperor of the Universe. And you've pissed." He swallowed hard, removing his hand from the wall with a small push, moving his weight onto his legs. "Me." He continued and took a deep breath. "Off!" He took a lunge forward, right hand moving back to smack at Agito's leg.

They had discussed it beforehand; Ikki would send Agito in to take down the first wave; the area was isolated enough with the only open side of the lot blocked off with a fence. Should Hatsuko have planned and hidden her teammates, then she should have come to the conclusion that the best place to hide the men was the buildings that formed the actual surrounding walls. Assuming that she was as simpleminded as she seemed, Ikki's plan was spot on – he had debriefed Agito on the way there; Kazu should have been captured, worst case, and the bitch had some obsession with bondage or that kind of messed up shit. Agito was meant to go in first, and then Ikki would follow and get Kazu out. Kazu would insist that he could help, but…well he did honestly need the Jet to push in for back up.

Their emblem was the target. That god damned badge that had been chasing them for so long, the medal that he wanted to crush rather than flaunt. They were going to get that emblem and somehow they were going to crush that team's spirits.

Ikki moved in a beeline for the two that were tied to the fence as Agito leapt out from behind him. He couldn't be entirely sure why the younger boy was being so obedient for once; no lip was given on the way there, and the only way Ikki could find himself justifying that in his head was through blaming Akito. The kid was probably sobbing his brains out in worry or something else that Ikki would surely protest.

_I'm fine_, Ikki swore to himself. _For shit's sake, I'm fine._ He skated quickly towards the two at the fence, ignoring the shark he had let loose and the large amount of startled cries that were peppering the air.

When he reached Ringo's side first, the girl's eyes widened in surprise. He assumed he knew what she was thinking and scowled at the thought, trying to keep his furrowed brows hidden by lowering his head to untie the girl.

She probably thought he was choosing her, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her otherwise.

All he could bring himself to do was to fumble with the rope for a few moments until he actually found a way to loosen the tangled mess of a knot; it was tied hastily and sloppily, like they were scared that she would hurt them if they took the time to be thorough.

They were probably right. As he finished with the knot, he spoke into the girl's ear softly. "I need you to weaken them. Take out all the men but leave the woman standing." He finished untying the bonds on her wrist and made eye contact with the female storm rider. "She's mine."

Ringo's eyebrows twitched down into a light scowl. "You're in no sha-"

"Go," Ikki ordered, cutting the girl off. She grimaced before she obeyed. Ikki frowned; as if there was any question if she would comply or not, she was still head over heels for the boy and it was written all over her face, even Ikki could tell. Somehow Chibatsu had managed to make the mistake of leaving the girl's AT's on when they tied her up.

_They really are fucking stupid_. Ikki shook his head and turned to more important matters.

"Kazu," he spoke softly but urgently, turning around and finally letting his eyes fall upon his best friend. The other boy was making a pained face, and Ikki immediately felt his emotions shake. He didn't know whether he felt relieved, worried, angry, excited, happy, but Kazu's expression tore him up inside for some reason he couldn't put his finger on.

"Hey, Ikki. I'm uh…" The pained look found its way to Kazu's face again and Ikki swore, leaning forward to hug him. It was a rough embrace, his arms loosely hanging around Kazu's shoulders and his fingers twitching for a moment before he gripped at the white grungy fabric of his sweatshirt.

"I'm sorry, Kazu. I'm really sorry, dude." He hid his face and closed his eyes, hid from Kazu's pain for just a moment to inhale in Kazu's scent and make sure it really was him.

He had gotten him back.

"Ikki, I'm sorry."

Ikki pulled back from the hug after settling with a serious expression. "For what?"

"Getting captured." Kazu's eyes were lowered. Yeah, Ikki had just pulled back from the hug, but he pulled him in again anyway. He didn't care who looked on at them, he didn't care who saw something or how they interpreted that something.

"Shut the hell up. I'm the one who should be sorry."

"But Ikki, I…"

"They used you as bait for me."

They fell silent for a moment until Ikki pushed himself away again, hands letting go of Kazu's dirty sweatshirt and moving to release him from the fence. His hands moved faster and more efficiently than the last time. It was as if his hands were just as determined to free his best friend; that or he was more comfortable knowing that Kazu could move in a moment or two.

"Hey," Ikki spoke again once Kazu was finally back in full control of his limbs.

"Let me fight too," Kazu requested immediately, getting straight to the point. Apparently he had gained the ability to read Ikki's mind in the hours passed.

"No, I." Ikki grimaced, thinking hard. Sure, Kazu had been injured, but he was recovering surely enough and it seemed like Agito and Ringo could use a hand. Chibatsu had moved into the area and men were now dropping in from the surrounding windows like rotten fruit from a tree. At the moment, it looked somewhere close to fifteen on two, in the other party's favor.

Agito and Ringo could handle themselves, yes. However in the short time that Ikki had been observing, he hadn't seen the main culprit once; she was obviously taking advantage of Ikki's demand for Ringo to lay off of her and skulking around to plot and scheme.

"Go," Ikki spoke, trying his hardest not to speak through his teeth in worry. "I don't need you getting hurt though, alright? I'm going to stay here and help strategize, I uh. Yeah. I just need a few."

* * *

Kazu nodded, determined. It was his turn to protect Ikki, but not just from the sidelines and by staying invisible.

This time he could show off, strut his stuff and flaunt his flames, and hope to whatever god there was that the fever pill wouldn't kick in until the whole thing had passed. He couldn't imagine that Hatsuko would have chosen particularly slow acting fever inducers, but her team however…well they didn't have the best grades on his track record.

For example, they had left his AT's on. He ran forward, feeling his stride take a toll from his injury but satisfied that he had some of his former confidence back.

Ikki did that to people.

"Kazu! Gimme your phone!" Ikki yelled from behind him, and Kazu turned on his good leg, swiveling on his heel and launching the phone towards his friend before he finished his turn, racing off to help Agito and Ringo.

The girl had gone all out; she wasn't using her regalia, but she wasn't holding back either; she was taking the battle seriously, but at face value. Chibatsu wasn't worth her regalia at all. Agito was cutting men down one by one, carving his mark into each one and knocking them down. When they got back up again, Ringo would move in using her legs to sweep at them from below. A swift kick to the knees or the ankles was enough to bring them down each time, but with the pair's tag team of fang and thorn Kazu noticed that there wasn't much room for improvement.

He couldn't find any way to contribute. He hovered at the edge of the skirmish awkwardly, hands suddenly shaking.

_What do I do?_ Kazu waffled, his stride faltering as he came to a stop.

"KAZU. Find the bitch!" Ikki called from behind him, voice rough and deep. It was as if he was reading his mind, had seen his confidence return only to get stopped again moments later.

"But…where'd she go?"

"You tell me! Now go!" His voice wasn't angry, simply demanding and expecting.

Like he trusted him.

Ikki grimaced, watching the fast paced brawl with quick eyes. It wasn't the way things should have been handled, but he acknowledged that it was probably the only way and let it happen. It wasn't like the time with Sabeltiger; Chibatsu had stalked them, terrorized them, and intended on killing the entire team.

Ikki wasn't going to let that slide, oh no. He'd make them take their actions right up their own asses.

"Ringo! Go for the torsos, wind'em!" he called, leaning back against the fence and falling into a seated position.

Yeah, he felt like shit.

Yeah, he blamed them.

Ikki let his focus fall to Kazu's phone for a moment, trying to clear his head as he poked at the buttons. He didn't know whether it was possible to actually do the proper Parts War battle registration on a cellphone, but he found a little icon with "PW" underneath it so he moved the highlight over to it and prodded the "okay" button.

"Kazu, keep tabs on her and keep her still," Ikki called again after looking up to see Kazu stumble over what looked like nothing. Kazu had caught view of the woman but lost her again as she moved within the buildings, popping up in one window then another seconds later. Was something wrong with the kid? Ikki frowned, thoughtful. Yeah, he had been tied up for a few hours, but he would have said something to Ikki if they had done anything to incapacitate him…right?

Oh who was he kidding, Kazu would try and hide it.

"KAZU! What did they do to you?"

Kazu had found Hatsuko again at this point; the woman was hiding in an a window facing the alleyway to the south, crouching under a windowsill and calling commands out at her team members in a shrill pitch that gave Ikki a headache. He watched in satisfaction as Kazu and the woman tumbled out of the window, the boy coming out on top, pinning the woman down on the pavement. "What? Ikki now's not the ti-!"

Hatsuko managed to struggle free when one of her men swung his legs around on the ground, landing a kick on Kazu's elbows and pulling a cry from the Jet.

"What did they do? They did something, didn't they?" Ikki called out again, eyes flicking back to Ringo and Agito, waiting for one of them to hurt the dick that had done that to Kazu. When neither of them moved, Ikki moved to stand up before he realized what he was doing. "Kazu!"

Hatsuko had disappeared in the moments that Kazu was crippled for, and Ikki heard her cackle from the one of the windows surrounding them. He spotted her in a second floor window of the building she had been in previously right as she called out; "Maybe he doesn't want you to worry!"

Kazu's eyes widened and he shoot Ikki a worried look. His eyes were glazed over, and his face was getting flushed. Something was up. "Kazu! Tell me now."

"I'm fine!" Kazu called back, turning to face Hatsuko again. His voice was at a higher pitch than Ikki had expected, and his breathing was getting heavier. "Shut the hell up and get down here. Fight like the man you wish you were!" The blonde was getting flustered; normally he wasn't so predatory or rash. Kazu was supposed to be calculating and smart, not shaky and loud.

Hatsuko ignored Kazu and spoke directly at Ikki, speaking those words he didn't want to hear and responding to the question he wanted Kazu to answer. "Kazu will be coming down with a fever very soon and well…it seems like he doesn't want to let that hinder your team's attack." She smirked when she finished speaking, and Ikki snapped.

The frenzied skirmish froze as Ikki stood up and Hatsuko dropped from the window; the woman used the wall to slow her descent and Ikki used the fence for support.

"Care to repeat that?" Ikki dared her, his eyes venomous as he glowered at the woman before him.

"We gave him fever inducers," Hatsuko replied, her responding glare filled with just as much poison.

By this time they were standing face to face in the middle of the square lot, Ikki trying to control his breathing and Hatsuko trying to control her amusement. Amusement that was probably bred out of confidence about the boy's weakened state.

"Nobody," Ikki began, voice in a low growl as he took a step forward. "_Fucks_," he continued.

Hatsuko's sneer faltered but came back just as strong and instant later.

"With my _team_!" Ikki took another step forward, mustering up all of the energy he had recovered and trying to show power in his stance.

"And what're you gonna do about it?" she retorted. "You wouldn't even be able to hit a woman even if you _could_ work up the strength for a single punch!"

Just then Kazu seemed to remember the job that Ikki had tasked him with. "Ikki!" he called, grabbing Hatsuko from behind, shoving his arms underneath her shoulders and grabbing her from the underarms, pulling her into a full nelson but keeping his hands off of her neck so that her head could stay up.

Kazu was letting her watch Ikki come at her.

"Boys? Boys!" she cried, attempting to summon her teammates to her side before she realized that every single man was finally downed on the ground, and that they had stopped getting back up.

"Now. What was it that you had planned for me?" Ikki inhaled deeply after each sentence he spoke, trying to keep his composure just long enough for him to finish what he needed to do.

"I'm going to kill you and there's nothing you can do! You can't hit me, I'm just a helpless…?"

"Bullshit!" Ikki snarled, taking a fast stride towards the woman and relying on the momentum from his skates to amplify his punch. He was disgusted by the feel of her flesh on his knuckles, the vulnerable feel of the woman he hated. "I really hate punching women, but honestly?" He took his hand back for a swing at her stomach. She coughed in pain as he finished; "You're nothing more than a stalker piece of scum." It only took two punches for the woman to tear up from shame and pain.

Kazu let her go, and Hatsuko fell to her knees. "I…! You won't kill me! Even though you should."

"Do you think we'd really want to stoop to your pitiful level?" Ikki was absolutely livid and he knew that he would never and had never wanted to kill another human. But what if that person wasn't even acting like a reasonable human? He felt himself shaking. It didn't help that he heard Kazu retching at that moment, the speed rider crouched over at the corner of the alley with his hand on the wall for support. His glare was broken by his worried glance at his friend, and Hatsuko took the moment to speak again.

"We wouldn't stop if you let us go," she shrieked, but she was soon cut off.

"Actually," a male voice argued, "we have no part in this team anymore." A few of the team members had stood up, and Agito and Ringo stood back as more and more of Hatsuko's men stood to their feet. They hadn't been unconscious, they had merely been lying docile as their leader – or, former leader – was taken in combat. "We lost as soon as the target got here. Chibatsu is now a one woman team. If anyone's going to go after the kid, it's only you now." The men scattered after the speaker had finished, and Agito and Ringo made eye contact with Ikki. He shook his head; they weren't worth it, nor were they the culprit. If they hadn't put up a fight then there wasn't anything to worry about from them, at least from his point of view.

"So then, what were you saying?" Ikki didn't even grant the woman a cocky grin or a winner's sneer. All she had earned from him was his coldest fiery glare will all of his loathing.

"I-I…" The woman faltered again, eyelids fluttering but not closing as she tried to worm her way out of it. Her face still showed aggression, but her body language was beginning to resemble that of a cornered animal. Her tail was tucking between her legs even as she continued to snarl.

"Ikki." A hoarse voice sounded behind him, and Ikki whipped his head around to check on his best friend. Kazu was wiping him mouth on his sleeve and he looked disgusted, but he seemed like he was at least retaining his consciousness even if his stomach was lost. "She's not worth it," he continued, coughing slightly to clear his throat.

"I…!" Hatsuko fiddled around in her cleavage for a moment before she procured the small metal emblem of her team. "Can we make it official? My team's already disbanded, we'll say we bet our emblems and you can have mine!" The woman had fallen to begging and Ikki knew Kazu was right. He grimaced, plucking the warm emblem from the woman's fingers before dropping it on the ground and spitting on it. She wasn't worth it.

"I don't want your emblem. Apologize to him," he commanded, nodding with his head towards Kazu and feeling his nostrils flare in disgust and loathing at the now pitiful woman.

She looked down at the ground. "I don't apologize."

Ikki drew his fist back again, but before he let another punch loose on the woman he felt a hand on his elbow. Even with a fever and nausea, Kazu still managed to sneak up on him. "Ikki, hold it," he muttered. The blonde stepped forward, standing above the pitiful and proud woman. She had begged but still attempted to keep a semblance of pride? Ikki scoffed but Kazu just looked down on her. "I don't want an apology from you. I want you to disappear, and if we see your face around here once more…" He paused and nodded at Ikki's still hovering fist. "I'll set the East's Strongest on your fat ass." Kazu spat on the already defiled emblem of the woman's former team as well. "As if a spider couldn't be crushed with just a pinky."

"A poisonous spider can take down even a human," she spat.

"Yeah, well match a spider up with a crow it can't reach, and you tell me how well it goes." Kazu's speech was beginning to slur and the dulled gleam from before was coming back to his eyes and Ikki knew it was time to wrap it up. "You can't sneak up on something in the air."

As Hatsuko opened her mouth to retort again Ikki shot her a glare and stepped forward. "We can continue this if you want to," he growled, ramming his still clenched fist into his left hand, "or you can start running. Now."

Hatsuko rose slowly to her feet, eyes narrowed when she spoke as she turned her back on the two boys. "I should have force fed the brat poison."

Kazu had to hold Ikki back; he had utterly snapped. He could put up with death threats to himself, sure. But when it came to Kazu, Ikki couldn't take it. The fact that she had spoken like that made his stomach writhe with a terrifying mixture of fear and rage. "Ringo!" he shouted, "Take that slut's AT's."

Hatsuko began to run when she heard the order leave Ikki's lips, but it was no use; Ringo was upon her in a moment, expression unreadable as she spoke quietly to the other woman. He heard a sickening crunch followed by a shriek of pain a moment later and he realized that his eyes had lost their focus. After he restored his vision, he saw Hatsuko grabbing her lower left leg in the same place that Kazu had gotten injured in their first encounter. Ringo's expression was dark as she shot off in the direction of their house, and Ikki felt himself lose interest in the girl as soon as she ran out of sight with the blood red pair of Air Treks.

Suddenly, Kazu's grip on him that had been holding him back began to pull him down, and he realized that his friend was losing consciousness; and fast. "K-Kazu, you okay?" he asked, his eyes and vision blurring as he tried to pull Kazu back up. He felt his legs give in right then, and he collapsed onto the ground, a strange sense of heated numbness making his limbs tingle. "Kazu?"

His friend vanished from his sight and he felt his heart clench for a moment before he realized that everything had vanished as well. Ikki's eyes fluttered closed and he fell limp as exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fainted.

* * *

**E/N:** This chapter of Eye of the Storm was brought to you by Sweet Lemon Peace Tea and the Goofy Movie soundtrack.

I like tea. And The Goofy Movie. Also no, nobody is dead. I don't break the story with my insert fics, this is meant kind of as an additional arc after the Genesis arc and before all the Kururu jazz. Yo. I think that was my original timing.


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